A Verdant Breeze
by YuriLover567
Summary: An unarguably bouncy goddess, elated to the point of stupidity! A ludicrously inconsistent woman, jealous to the point of stupidity! An innocent little girl, cheerful... also to the point of stupidity! What is this, a sitcom? Who knows! One thing is certain, though: with a newly born breeze flowing around Leanbox, life surely won't stay the same for the resident CPU and her Oracle!
1. The Newly Born Breeze!

It was yet another peaceful dawn in Leanbox, much like innumerable ones before it. Boxbirds sang as the sun appeared over the horizon, bathing the world with its warm light as cool breezes traveled through land and sea alike.

A calm atmosphere, without a doubt. And it was in such an atmosphere that Chika Hakozaki, the one and only Oracle of the Land of Green Pastures, could be found amidst one of the most important rituals of her daily life.

Which, of course, simply meant sleeping under the green covers of her large, luxurious bed, cuddling her Vert bodypillow as if it were the real thing.

The woman had a satisfied smile as she slept, her comfort greatly enhanced by both the warm light and calm wind coming from the open glass windows. Given her expression, there was no doubt that she was enjoying her dreams, whose subject only Chika herself would ever know.

" _Ehehe... Lady Vert... So soft..._ "

... Or, at least, that would be the case, if only she wasn't the open book that was Chika Hakozaki.

Point is, there was no question that the Oracle was greatly enjoying her rest, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to say she would stay like this forever if given the option.

Unfortunately, this was the real world-

 _BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAING!_

"UGH!"

-something the Oracle was suddenly reminded of as she was brought back to the world of the living by her too-loud-for-comfort alarm clock, an old-style design she bought on a whim in a sale last week, the kind that could wake even comatose people up.

The kind that Chika _hated._

 **SMASH!**

As evidenced by her utter decimation of the poor metallic object with her fist.

Chika would most likely regret that action later, but, as she drowsily opened her scarlet eyes, she simply felt pleased. And grouchy.

"Should have never bought that thing..." the woman grumbled as she hesitantly let go of her bodypillow and slowly raised from her bed. Just as expected of someone who just woke up, her hair was undone and disheveled, her black - and a little suggestive - nightdress scruffy, and her eyes were droopy as she glared at the wall.

To say she looked displeased with being cut off from her dreams would be an understatement.

 _'And just when it was getting good...'_

"Aaaaaah, it doesn't matter..." She yawned before stretching her arms out. It wasn't like she could do anything about it; going back to sleep on a work day certainly didn't sound like a good idea. Or even a sane one, considering that she was supposed to be the _Oracle of Leanbox_.

Someone had to do the paperwork, after all.

 _'Time to start a new day... Joy...'_

Using all her willpower, Chika proceeded to slip out of her bed and slowly made her way to the wooden door.

She was already missing her bodypillow...

* * *

Stepping out of the shower, wrapped in a green towel, the smiling woman let out a long, satisfied sigh.

A hot bath really was the answer to everything.

With that out of the way, Chika walked to the mirror and moved on to her next activity: brushing her hair.

"Keeping a _fabulous_ hair like mine nice and tidy is a process and a half!" The Oracle whipped out from her convenient hammerspace her trusted hairbrush, a green and cylindrical one, and began taming her mane of green hair. "I wonder if I should leave it down, dearest has never made that preference clear... Eh, I'll stick with regularity." Chika shrugged, then reached for the blow dryer. Pointing it to her head, she pressed the button on its handle.

 _FWOOSH!_

Just an instant later, the wetness was already non-existent. In fact, Chika almost burned herself because the darn thing was set too high. "Whoops, ehehe..."

Next, she placed down the device, materialized in her hand her usual fancy hair-tie and did her hair up in the signature ponytail.

Analyzing her reflection in the mirror, she smiled victoriously. "Perfect!"

 _Twink~_

A lone strand of hair begged to differ with the woman's statement. The smile visibly faltered.

"Come on..." The woman strongly brushed the rebel strand.

 _Twink~_

But her hair refused to change.

Chika's eye twitched in annoyance. "So that's how it's gonna be, eh?" The Oracle accepted this challenge, reached out for an object near the sink, and then...

 _Snip_

... She simply cut the offending hair off with a pair of scissors.

"Easy done, easy go." Satisfied, the Oracle placed down the scissors and moved on to her next activity: brushing her teeth! "I can't allow myself to have a bad breath! It would be the ultimate shame if I had it on the day my dearest finally..." She trailed off, her face becoming progressively redder as her imagination did its job. " _Oh my_!"

Cave once laughed at the Oracle once she _generously_ shared the aforementioned thoughts... while drunk, but to hell with her! These weren't delusions, they were _the future_!

And to reach that future, she unfortunately couldn't stay focused on her imagination forever.

Eventually breaking away from the highly enjoyable images in her mind, Chika reached for the green toothbrush in the white cup near the sink and began the arduous process of cleaning her teeth, complete with mouthwash and even a mint from a nearby jar after she was done.

 **Gargle** As she was done, the greenette then spat in the sink. Turning the water tap on and off to wash it out, she threw the mint in her mouth and left her bathroom, connected directly to her room. Still clad in her towel, she aimed for her closet next. "Now, let's see..."

Her closet was a walk-in, like her shower, and contained... basically several copies of her risque black dress blocking the view of whatever was behind them, each one with a paper label on the hanger. "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday- Ah!" She immediately pulled out an outfit. "My Thursday Best!" She eagerly walked out the closet, slipping out of her towel as she rushed to put on her outfit.

After it was all said and done, Chika checked herself out in the mirror, making faces and posing every now and again to make sure she hadn't screwed the routine up somehow.

"I look positively pleasing for my dearest!" She gave herself the _Chika Hakozaki Seal Of Approval_ _(tm)_ and left her room with a satisfied grin. "It's still terribly early, but I know for a _fact_ that Dearest binged Four Goddesses Online 2 last night... again!"

Chika pointed a dramatic finger down the hall, not caring the slightest about how weird she must have looked. "Now, _onwards to my darling Vert!"_ Yelling like a military general, the Vert-obsessed woman marched down the otherwise empty hallways to greet her Vert.

A left turn, a right turn, another left turn, next straight forward, ignore the Sharicite Chamber whose door is emanating heat, then right-

Wait.

' _The Sharicite Chamber is burning up?!'_

Chika couldn't have turned around faster, panickedly running as fast as possible to that door. Reaching it seconds later, the woman immediately put her hand on the digital panel next to it.

Recognizing her hand, the door then opened upwards, revealing the Sharicite Chamber-

 **FLASH!**

-from which ludicrous amounts of _noticeably hot_ and _blindingly bright_ light shot straight into her eyes.

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-"_

* * *

Vert, the CPU Green Heart of Leanbox, was having an _acceptable_ morning, and calling it that might even be stretching it.

Much to her joy, 4GO2 had a massive update released only yesterday, and the blonde gamer spent her precious sleep-time downloading it, waiting for installation while staring down the loading bar like any proper gamer and then playing nonstop in an attempt to obtain and beat all the new content at once.

That in itself had cost her the night, but she didn't look worn in the slightest. Sure, she was in her nightgown, but not once had she felt sleepy or even yawned. Losing twelve hours of sleep was nothing if you were the CPU Of Leanbox!

... And also overloaded with snacks, but that was another story entirely.

However, although she was having such a great time for most of her all-nighter, it was pretty much set in stone that the fun had to stop at some point.

Thing is, the CPU hadn't expected that to happen _before_ she went through all the content.

"I must be cautious with this boss..." Vert sipped her tea with one hand, the other holding the controller near her chest as she spoke in the microphone of the black headset placed on her head.

As would be expected of an addicted gamer's lair, it was dark in her room, the only light coming from her four computer screens.

One could say Vert was a very... _focused_ woman.

"He has depleted me of over 100 Hyperpotions, cut the Leanboxian Grand Army to less than half in a matter of minutes, and he _keeps spamming Armageddon! ARGH!"_ Vert growled, her hold on the controller tightening. "However, even though we were forced to retreat yet again, for now we cannot let these losses get the better of us! His HP is not regenerating, we _will_ defeat him!"

 _"I understand your feelings, but I suggest not shouting so loudly, Lady Vert."_ A cool, collected voice came over her headset. _"It's still early morning, after all."_

"Ah..." Vert visibly faltered. "I'm sorry, Cave. It seems my patience has taken far too many hits..."

 _"No need for apologies, simply prepare yourself to evade these hits. And I mean both kinds."_ Cave, under the name _BulletHellGoddess1979_ , responded. _"To tell the truth, I was also struggling with them. It seems I haven't fully awakened yet. I find-"_

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

 _"..."_

"..."

 _"Was... Was that Chika, perhaps?"_ Cave hesitantly asked, her tone clearly disbelieving.

"Ah, do not mind her." Vert didn't seem so worried, however. "She likely drenched her bodypillow of me with coffee. Yet again."

 _"I... see. It certainly sounds likely, although I hadn't expected her to_ _ **scream**_ _,"_ Cave conceded, still sounding somewhat confused. " _As I was saying, I find myself rather surprised that you asked for my help against the Sheeplord, and so early in the morning at that."_

Vert sighed. "Well, as you have undoubtedly noticed, most of my team has left the battle due to frustration or tiredness. I'm terribly sorry to disturb you on your day off, but we truly need help after all the losses we took. We were never ready, no one expected a boss with _Sheep_ in the name to be _so powerful!"_

 _"I will not lie, it truly sounds like the name of, might I say, a stupid boss."_

That elicited a huff from the CPU. "It is certainly not stupid if it managed to trounce our army so thoroughly."

A low chuckle escaped from the redheads lips. _"I understand, Lady Vert. The situation may be petty, but I will gladly give aid to my Goddess when the time calls for it."_

Even though obviously frustrated, Vert still smiled at that. "Thank you, Cave. Perhaps I should make it up to you after the boss has fallen, I could certainly guide you through some of the new dungeons."

 _"A lovely invitation, but tiredness is beginning to affect me more than expected. After I get my rest, we will certainly discuss a deal."_

"Very well. I don't wish to keep you up any longer, so let us march!"

 _"As you wish."_

And so, the CPU and the SMD Agent traversed the virtual plains-

 _"Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeert!"_

Vert's eye twitched. She most certainly heard that scream, but she chose to ignore it, focusing on more important matters. Now then-

 _"VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERT!"_

 _"Lady Vert, I do believe Chika is screaming for you,"_ Cave helpfully informed.

The Goddess groaned. "Indeed. She is so needy..." Vert set her controller down. "You have my permission to lead the Guild against the Sheeplord, Cave. I must see what all the commotion is about, I will catch up with all of you soon enough."

 _"Understood."_

Just as the reply came, Vert took off her black headphones before raising from her seat and begrudgingly leaving her dark room.

 **Flash!**

"Agh..." Only to be temporarily blinded by the sudden light, forcing her to shield her eyes. "Heavens, perhaps I should open a curtain every once in a while. Consistent darkness is unhealthy..."

A beat.

"Nah."

 _"VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERT!"_

The blondes ears were left ringing as Chika screamed for her a third time. Sighing, she traversed through the halls towards the source of the noise.

Thirty seconds of traversing the hallways later, she finally reached her objective, only to immediately realize the screams came from the _open S_ haricite Chamber.

"Goodness Chika, must you scream so loudly?" Vert chastised as she walked into the room. "Honestly, what has gotten you so-"

And then she froze.

In front of her were two things. One was a paled Chika, eyes wide and mouth open as her trembling arm pointed at something that most likely caused her distress.

The other thing made Vert question reality itself.

She blinked, but nothing changed. Then she tried it again, only to obtain the same result. She then proceeded to pinch her own arm, and the slight pain told her everything she needed to know.

It was real. Whatever her eyes were seeing, it was real.

 ** _The little girl sitting on the ground right there was completely real._**

"Agh... Um... Ah..." Vert couldn't even speak, her mind turning into mush as her disbelieving eyes scanned the being in front of her.

She was small, seemingly around five-years old, and her legs were carelessly sprawled on the floor. She had long wavy blonde hair which descended to her back, tied in a pair of conjoined braids behind her head with a flower hairpin, much like Vert's own hair, and her eyes were blue like the sea.

On her body was only a green strapped nightgown which reached down to her upper thighs, its sleeves far too long for her arms. Both her skirt and collar were decorated with white frills, while the latter also housed a small green bow.

"..." Vert's whole world had stopped. Her face was drained of color, similar to Chika's, and her stomach was in knots.

This girl...

She couldn't _possibly..._

It was all there: The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the Leanboxian clothing. Her hair was even braided in a similar fashion to Vert's, not to mention that she eerily resembled Vert herself when she was a child. There may as well have been a sign proclaiming it...

Vert was struggling to stay composed. Hell, Vert was struggling to do as much as _think_!

Meanwhile, the little girl looked scared, nervous even. The room she was in was quite dark, so much that it was hard to see even Vert and Chika, who were standing just feet from her. She eyed Vert, curiosity shining in her eyes. The woman's breath hitched. And then...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Big Sis?"

That was the killing blow.

The last thing Vert saw was the ground, which was rapidly approa-

 **Thud**

"DEAREST!"

* * *

 **A/N: Didn't expect Verna to show up again, did you? Neither did I, to be honest. Especially at the expense of deleting three stories. The original plan was writing sequels, but a lot changed during the last few months.**

 **And my god, this story took _so long_ to complete. Rewrite after rewrite after edit after edit after rewrite... it got pretty jaded after a while, but I'm happy that it's finally done.**

 **To any fans of Verna, and even any fans of Chika, I present to you... this. This thing that I put my blood, sweat and tears into. I hope you enjoy it, goddess knows I'd like some good feedback after four months of rewrites and edits.**

 **Anyways, until next chapter, this has been me... signing off.**

 **Byyyye... owo  
**

 **-Yuri**


	2. The Dilemma Of Big Sister Chika!

Peaceful would be the easiest way to describe the situation.

Vert lied in her white king-sized bed, making motions akin to hugging the life out of something. That something being her light green plain bodypillow, of course, the object receiving all of the sleeping CPU's strength.

That poor bodypillow.

In the elegantly designed room filled with, um, _special_ merchandise, standing by the side of the large bed was Vert's supposed 'sister,' Verna. The little girl was eating a red bag of Golditos, designed with a golden triangle fusing through the very title and pictures of cheesy chips. She obtained the bag through sneaking, and watched her 'sister' with amused, slightly worried eyes.

"How come sis fell asleep?" Verna turned her head to Chika. "I thought the ground was dirty..."

Chika, who had totally not been glaring at the little one, huffed. "Your arrival sent her into a bit of a shock." That was an understatement.

"I shocked her?" Verna put on a sad frown. "B-But I don't remember zapping her..."

Oh, for the love of- "I _mean_ you made her go nighty-night." Chika spoke in a way that she hoped Verna would understand. "She does that sometimes." _'Especially after one of her stupid all-nighters...'_ she silently added.

"Ooooh..." Verna munched on another chip as she looked at the sleeping woman, a smile slowly forming as she stared at the stupid grin on the dreaming CPU's face. "Sis looks funny, hehe~"

The Oracle didn't pay attention to what the little girl was saying. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at the distracted Verna.

 _'This... This simply can't be happening! It can't! This must be some cruel sick joke the Universe is playing on me! I hate you, the Universe!'_

Of course, even as she screamed internally, Chika did not make her sorrow audible; if Vert were awake, doing so would certainly make her shoot the Oracle a look of disapproval.

It was simply logical, then, that bringing her pain to the physical world was completely _forbidden_.

 _'For years, I have been Vert's little sister. Me! Who gave this kid the right to call herself my Lady's little sister!? She has the audacity, the_ _ **nerve**_ _to call herself as such!? I hold the rightful place as my Lady's little sister, not her!'_

That did _not_ mean Chika wouldn't shout as loudly as possible inside her mind, however. And that's exactly what she has been doing for quite a while now, all the while constantly shooting the oblivious supposed little sister occasional narrowed glances.

 _'I won't let that brat take my spot, I won't!'_

 **munch munch** Meanwhile, the eating Verna was entirely unaware of the green Oracle's inner rage, focusing instead on her new 'big sister,' Vert. Occasionally, she poked the woman's cheek, as if testing to see if she was actually real or not.

Of course, she made sure to get the nacho cheese off her fingers before she did so, but her green nightgown suffered terribly as a result.

 _'Would it be too much to move her to Planeptune? Surely my Darling would-'_ "Hey, don't do that!"

"E-Eh?"

It was right out of nowhere. One minute Chika had been silently plotting to get rid of Verna, and the next she was shouting and pointing to a particular spot on the side of the little girl's green gown.

That spot happened to display a noticeable orange stain, where Verna had repeatedly wiped her fingers.

"What _is_ wrong with you!? Do you know how much those fancy clothes must cost?! Ugh..." Chika brought a hand to her forehead in frustration, letting out a long sigh. "Honestly, you may be a little girl, but making such a mess is just _inexcusable_ here. Do you _want_ to embarrass us!?"

"Uh..."

Chika huffed, lowering her hand as she glared at the clearly stunned Verna. "Follow me. We're getting that gown cleaned." She made a motion for Verna to follow her, to which the little girl obliged without a word.

 _'I swear, kids are so much trouble...'_ Chika grumbled under her breath, while Verna continued to eat from the bag. Almost on a whim, the Oracle glanced at the little girl.

She was staring at her cheesy fingers.

"Hm..."

 _"Don't you dare!"_

"Aw..."

* * *

"There." Chika pushed the Start button on the washer, and the cycle began. Seated cross-legged on top of a nearby dryer was Verna, clad only in her white top and green panties.

 **munch munch**

 _'She's still eating whatever is left of those damn Golditos... Gah!'_ Chika internally screamed in frustration. "Kid, if you're going to eat those chips, _use a napkin!"_ The Oracle instantly summoned a green one from her hammerspace and handed it to the little girl.

"Napkin, get!" Verna declared with a wide smile before she wiped her face. "Thanks, Big Sis!"

"Whatever, just make sure you-" _Wait a gosh darn second._ "W-What did you just call me?"

"Big Sis? You're Big Sis Chika!" Verna practically bounced in happiness as she cheerfully pointed at the woman.

...

...

...

 _'Andwvvnoinvoewnowncwcewnewpw-'_ "U-Uh..."

"Somethin' wrong?" Verna stared at Chika with her big ol' eyes.

"Uhhh..." Chika's mind was mush. All that was comprehensible through her mess of a brain was...

What.

 _What._

 _ **What.**_

 _ **WHAT.**_

"Big Sis Chika?" Verna immediately noticed how the Oracle had, for lack of a better description, gone blank. Placing down the newly depleted bag of Golditos and wiping her hand clean, the little girl tilted her head quizzically at the woman. "Is it hurting somewhere...?"

"D-Don't call me that!" Chika hastily let out, face suddenly turned pure red. Why? Well, the woman was trying to figure that out herself.

"Why not?" Verna tilted her head confusedly, her eyes a bit sad.

"J-Just don't! Alright!?" Flustered, for whatever reason, Chika noticed that the washer was done. In desperate need for a distraction, she attempted to turn her attention to the machine, taking out the nightgown, placing it in the dryer and pushing the _Start_ button a tad too fast. "G-Geez, why are you so- Huh?"

During her outburst, which would appear quite sudden and out-of-nowhere to anyone that wasn't a telepath, Chika had failed to notice that Verna looked... sad. Her head was hung, she fiddled with her hands, and even her lips were quivering. The girl looked like she was about to cry.

That was when the Oracle realized it.

Verna **_was_** about to cry.

 _'Ugh...'_

"Hey, what's wrong?" Chika, despite having an intense feeling of jealously towards the annoying brat, wasn't heartless.

"Y-You..." Verna raised her head to look at Chika. "Y-You don't like me saying Big Sis Chika... I-I thought it was n-nice..."

Chika pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Some kids... "Hey, now..."

"I-I'll just call you Miss Chika, i-if you want..." Verna bit her lip, tears already pooling in her eyes.

The Oracle suddenly found herself gulping, her willpower faltering slightly. Was this kid seriously trying to _guilt trip_ her?!

 _'No, I won't accept this! I'm_ _ **not**_ _falling for this! You_ _ **won't**_ _manipulate me, you-'_

A small whimper interrupted her thoughts, followed by the little girl's mouth trembling as her big, blue eyes stared straight into Chika's own scarlet eyes with nothing but pure, soul-crushing sadness.

 _'Argh! To hell with it!'_

"H-Hey!" The woman called out to Verna, her voice, and her expression, considerably more desperate than intended. "Enough with the weeping, alright? Geez..."

"Hm...?" Sniffing lightly, Verna shot Chika a confused, yet still sad, look.

"Ugh, look, just- shouldn't you save the 'Big Sis' name for your... actual... big... sis..." Chika died a little inside.

"B-But you're like a Big Sis too! Y-You're doing my pajamas!" the little girl insisted, waving her napkin around as if to prove her point somehow.

 _'Seriously...'_

Chika wanted to argue that doing laundry doesn't make you big sister material, but then she realized she would effectively be arguing with a 5-year old and let it go. "Yeah, yeah, whatever..."

"You still don't like it..." Verna pouted, her mouth not trembling anymore as she wiped her eyes.

"It's not- Look!" Chika pointed at Verna, struggling to keep a serious face as she attempted to think of something to say. "J-Just, alright I don't _mind_ if you call me 'Big Sis' but that doesn't mean you get to throw it around all willy-nilly! 'Big Sis' is a _great_ title, you know! Better than great, it's a title that shouldn't be taken lightly!"

"Uh-huh..." Verna clearly wasn't quite understanding Chika's rambling, but, as she sniffed again, she seemed less sad already.

"What I'm _saying_ is that I'll let pass this _one time._ You can call me 'Big Sis', but see it as a right!"

And, just like that, a happy expression was on the little girl's face. "Yaaaay!" Hopping off the dryer, leaving both the napkin and the empty bag behind, Verna hugged Chika as strong as her small arms allowed. "Big Sis Chika is the best!"

 _'This damn kid...'_ "Y-Yeah, sure..."

 **Beep!**

"Dryer's done!" Thanking the True Goddess for convenient timing, Chika removed Verna's nightwear from the white machine. It was nice and clean, like cheese had never stained it in the first place. "Here!" She held it towards Verna, thankfully making the little girl let go of her to grab the outfit.

"Yay! It's all new!" Verna didn't waste time in putting it on, a big, bright smile on her face. "So warm~"

"Come on." Averting her eyes with a frown, Chika did her best to ignore the cuteness. "I doubt your... s-sister... is awake yet, so leave her be for now, alright?"

The smiling little girl nodded excitedly. "Oh! Can I eat something? I'm hungry!"

 _"Who does this kid think she is!?"_ "Y-You just ate a large bag of Golditos! There's _no way_ that you're-"

"Pleeeeease, Big Sis?"

* * *

"Awww..."

A sad Verna was sat at the kitchen table, eyeing the fruit bowl placed in front of her with lament. The fruit itself had been expertly cut and prepared, as Chika was no lax when it came to cooking after all. Needless to say, it was a fitting snack for the healthy and weight watchers!

Not so much for a little girl without a care in the world, though.

"Don't be like that. Fruit is healthy for a growing body!" Chika nonchalantly gave that absentminded response in something akin to a chiding tone as she tended to the dishes, her mind quite obviously somewhere else..

 _'Is she a Candidate? No, that much is obvious. But why was she born in the first place? Did something happen?'_ Chika mused, while washing a plate. _'Maybe it's because of our increase of Shares. Then again, does it even work like that?'_

"Big sis, I need a fork!"

The freshly cleaned utensil was skillfully flung into the fruit bowl, landing perfectly in a watermelon. Following the feat, Chika didn't even glance behind her to ascertain whether it feel on the right spot.

"Thanks!"

 _'I remember Histoire telling the others and I a long time ago, shortly after the other Candidates were born. I should ask her...'_ Chika thought about it. _'Everything about this situation is so strange! Normally I would be elated whenever happiness is brought to my dear sisters life, but...'_

"Big sis, I'm done!"

Chika automatically swiped the empty bowl from the little one. "Good girl."

 _'I can't fathom why a Candidate would be born now! And, more importantly, this kid threatens to take my long deserved spot as Vert's little sister! How heartbreaking! Oh, how cruel life can be!'_

"Sis, I'm thirsty!"

"Some juice to go with after your snack." Chika speedily reached for a cup, a nearby box of apple juice and poured a cup before handing it to Verna.

"Thank you!"

 _'Why can't this brat just disappear? Why must I suffer so!?'_

Chika continued to mentally gripe, completely unaware of her surroundings, or all existence in general. It was like she had severed her connection to the world in order to focus on her nonsensical internal grumbling. Reality didn't strike her again until some time later, perhaps an hour, where Chika had grown tired of hearing herself moan and groan...

* * *

... and found herself in Vert's room, with Verna sleeping cozily with her head on the woman's lap as they sat next to the sleeping CPU, on her large white bed.

...

 _'Huh!?'_

Chika blinked.

Did... did she just blank out _big time_ or what!? Chika would _never_ allow this sort of thing to happen!

But, still... Verna looked so peaceful... and adorable... and certainly _very happy_ to be in that spot...

 _'Gah!'_

Chika refrained from making any sudden noises, but she was screaming on the inside.

 _'IT'S NOT FAIR! This brat BRAINWASHED me! How evil, how malicious, how-'_

"...Big... Sis..." Verna muttered in her sleep.

It took all of Chika's willpower to stop herself from squealing on the spot.

 _And she despised herself for that._

 _'This kid...'_ Chika glared at the Candidate with as much hate as humanly possible. _'I'll have my revenge...!'_

Yes. That was a _promise_.

"Hng..." Still, when Verna suddenly shifted on her spot and her mouth formed a cute little smile, no amount of willpower could have stopped Chika from placing a hand on the little girl's blonde hair.

And she _hated_ that.

 _'Someday...'_

Chika will surely have her payback someday.

Not this day. Maybe not the next day either. Perhaps not even on the day after that.

But... _someday._

The Oracle glanced down at Verna, only then noticing how her own hand began ruffling the little girl's hair and how _impossibly adorable_ her satisfied expression looks.

 _'Argh! Now this is just unbearably_ _ **unfair**_ _!'_

Seriously, Chika hated her _so much...!_

 _'J-Just you wait, you brat! Someday... Someday, I'll deal with you!'_

That's right... Someday...

Yeah, someday...

* * *

 **A/N: Oh Chika...**

 **Anyway, Verdant Breeze is expected to be updated every Wednesday. If it comes in late, then that means I was a lazy bastard and didn't do it. It's kinda hard to juggle this, playing Neps and writing down new ideas at the same time. That, and my Procrastination Skill is Level 11. owo**

 **If you like, review. If you hate it... well, don't be a douche about it, but a constructive review is appreciated. I kinda want to know if I'm doing good or not.**

 **Until next time...**

 **-Yuri**


	3. Awaken, My Sisters!

Vert hated waking up.

Everything, even her eyelids, felt one hundred times heavier as soon as she opened them. Her body felt weak, her muscles sore and creaky, her brain frayed and tired...

Okay, she may have been acting overzealous, but she still felt quite miserable. Truly, the CPU just wanted to go back to sleep, but she was a morning person. Or whatever time of day it may be right now.

In truth, Vert was unsure about how long she actually _had_ been asleep. Minutes? Hours? _Days?_ That last one sounded like a stretch, but she didn't know!

The very last thing she remembered was passing out in the Sharicite Chamber, with Chika yelling her name.

Why had she passed out? Why were they in the Sharicite Chamber in the first place? And why did it feel like everything was at the tip of her tongue?

Vert had no idea. And that frustrated her.

 _'The moment before that feels so fuzzy, how distressing...'_ The Goddess was at least grateful that she had awoken in her own bed, clad in her nightgown and cuddling her green body pillow no less. She felt well-rested, but her head ached marginally. Most likely the blunt force of the metal floor hitting her skull. Any harder and she would have pulled a Neptune.

"Ooooh..." The woman groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. She needed some aspirin, or perhaps an ice pack depending on how serious it actually was. Knowing Chika, of course, she would most likely overreact and request an immediate trip to the hospital.

' _It_ _ **has**_ _happened before... Hm?'_

The woman noticed that, out of her peripheral vision, Chika was on the bed with her. The Oracle was sound asleep, sitting up and her head tilted to the left side, touching the wall. She was even drooling a bit.

' _Chika accompanied me to bed... again.'_ Vert sighed.

She could only reminisce at that particular memory.

"..."

Okay, _memories._

However, even as her mind was filled with several scenes which she would rather forget, the blonde woman still couldn't resist pulling out a green napkin from her hammerspace, reaching over and wiping the drool off the Oracle's chin, much like she regularly did long ago. Letting the silk disappear from her grasp, Vert then proceeded to pat the Chika's head, that action alone making the sleeping woman smile and giggle.

The CPU could only roll her eyes in amusement. _'It's incredible how she still manages to act like a child.'_

 **Groooooowl...** "Hm?"

It was then that the CPU's stomach interrupted her thoughts, clearly beckoning for food. Glancing at the clock, Vert realized it was well past the afternoon. 2:00 PM, in fact.

A shame, she didn't as much as eat lunch yet. Or breakfast.

 _'Chika always scolds me about skipping meals.'_ Vert gripped her borderline roaring belly. _'I should start listening to her, my stomach feels like it's sucking in on itself...'_

 _ **Grooooooooooooowl...**_

"It seems I will have to settle for late breakfast again. I would wake Chika up, but this mood is so peaceful..." Vert didn't want to disrupt the calm atmosphere, but she was indeed _very_ hungry... _'And I've always been a horrible cook. This is quite troublesome...'_

 **Hug**

"E-Eh?" Forgetting about her hunger for a moment, Vert realized that a pair of hands had wrapped around her waist. They were far too small to be Chika's, and the Goddess hadn't brought any guests over prior to her unconsciousness, so who-

"Big... Sis... Mm..."

...

...

...

 _ **...!**_

It took all of Vert's willpower to keep herself from screaming. She had to grip the bed so that she did not jump off of it. The moment those words were uttered, the second she felt a tiny body press up against her back, it all came flooding back to her like a dam burst. She now remembered why she had fainted.

A little girl.

A little girl _who called her 'Big Sis.'_

Vert covered her mouth, unwilling to let the doomungus amount of euphoria flowing within her to put a sudden stop to the serene mood.

 _'This... is this real!? Is this my reality!? I pray to the True Goddess that this is not a dream!'_

She had to take several deep breaths. Her heart was racing and her mind was melting. It had felt like her world had been rocked to the very core.

If what she heard was true...

Vert felt a tiny form climb up on her lap, feeling a head-shape lay on her thigh. Shaking, she looked down, and nearly had a heart attack.

It was the little girl she saw earlier, the one that called her 'Big Sis' shortly before she entered the realm of dreams.

 _'Ahhhh...'_ She almost died from cuteness overload. The girl had a sleeping face most adorable. She was snoring lightly, her mouth only partly opened as rested comfortably on her lap.

 _'How... Oh, it doesn't matter!'_ She wanted desperately to give her a hug. Her sleeping form was just begging to be brought into a voluptuous embrace!

 _She was so adorable!_

 _'Calm down... calm down...'_ Vert tried, she really did. _'Must... resist... urge... to..._ _hug!'_

"Mm...~" The girl snuggled against her sister's lap.

 _'GAH!'_

The CPU _had_ to calm herself down, otherwise she was going to absolutely _lose it_!

 _'In... out...'_ Vert forced herself to take deep breaths, doing her damnedest to steady her heartbeat and cease the shaking. It took quite a while, but the CPU eventually felt as if she wasn't about to explode _gloriously_ anymore.

Only mildly.

 _'Okay...'_ Carefully, she reluctantly placed one hand under the girl's stomach, and the other around her tiny legs, and gently picked her up, then placed her on a far spot on the cramped bed. After the action was done, she sighed.

 _'Is she really mine? Is she the darling little sister I've dreamed of having for so long?'_

It was hard to deny the stunning resemblance the small girl had to Vert. The memory of their first meeting was clear in Vert's mind. She looked _exactly_ like how the woman had been as a child.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, a most innocent and _adorable_ expression on her sleeping face... To say it looked like the little girl in Vert's childhood album would be a _massive_ understatement.

 _'This little one... s-she may be far cuter than that of Rom...!'_

Vert surprised herself with such a bold thought, but it certainly rang true! Rom was now _far too old_ in comparison to Verna! The younger, the cuter!

And Verna was cute. _Exceptionally so._

Not only that, but, _she was Vert's little sister._

The Green CPU felt an enormous sense of pride swell inside her when she realized that.

 _'When Chika wakes up, I shall request a fine family dinner for later! A meal positively splendid for my new little sister!'_

She could already imagine it. The time they would spend together, the games they would play together, the outfits she would have her sister wear...! She could see a princess, a nurse, a maid, a fairy...

 _Bunny._

Vert picked up her pillow and squealed _hard_ into it.

 _'N-No...! Now is not the time to let emotions control me...'_ Vert hesitantly placed the pillow down as she reasoned with herself. _'There is a time and a place for everything. We will have plenty of time to ourselves eventually, but, for now... I believe a meal is in order.'_

Yawning, the woman stretched her limbs and slowly rose from bed, heading towards the doorway with a trudge to her step. Perhaps she should go to the kitchen make some pancakes; those would be hard for even _her_ to screw up, right?

* * *

In her sleep, Chika was calm. In her dreams, Chika was happy. No troubles, no worries, no _unnecessary or unwanted arrivals_ to be found here.

It was so peaceful...

 **BONK**

...and that peace was instantly ruined when she slipped and hit her head on the headboard.

"Ow!" The Oracle woke up instantly as she recoiled, a stinging pain now present on the left side of her skull. "Son of a- Ow..." Chika hissed as she brought a hand to the new bump in her head.

As if that wasn't enough suffering, it was then that everything came rushing back to her, and Chika's eyes widened.

That's right. That _brat_ appeared.

The Oracle gritted her teeth at the simple thought.

Leanbox's Candidate was born; that was clearly a monumental occurrence. Needless to say, things were going to change, whether Chika liked it or not. As for _what_ is going to change, that was beyond obvious to the Oracle.

Verna's very existence meant a competitor for the spot the greenette has always occupied.

A competitor who already started out _winning_.

Just like that, Chika's headache worsened tenfold.

"Ugh, I need aspirin..." She rubbed her head. "Honestly, why did that brat need to be born _now_...? It's like the world itself hates my whole being- Hm?"

It was then that Chika cut off her own rambling as her nose picked up something... weird. It was a strange smell, surprisingly strong even though it appeared just a moment ago. It felt familiar, almost like something was...

Burning.

 _'... Oh.'_

Chika then glanced backwards, confirming that the only one in the bed besides her is that _brat_ , now happily hugging the bodypillow.

 _'Oh.'_

Slowly, the Oracle then turned her head forward with a deadpan expression.

A second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The smell grew stronger.

 _'OH, NOOOOOO!'_

Letting out the loudest of internal screams and forgetting about her headache for the time being, Chika leaped out of Vert's bed and dashed down the halls. "Ohnoohnoohnoohno _ohno!"_ She skidded to a stop, nearly crashing into a wall as she approached the kitchen.

The sight before her was most heartbreaking.

There was Vert, wearing a sheepish expression, in front of the stove, where a blackened mass of what had once been pancake mix was burning in a pan.

"W-Well..." The nervous look that the CPU shot Chika right then could only be described as 'overwhelmingly guilty.' "What did I do wrong?"

"Dearest, if you're going to cook pancakes, _flipping_ _it_ helps!" An exasperated Chika approached the stove. "Also, the burner is on too high! Ugh, it's sticking..." Chika turned the dial on the _Off_ setting, pulled out a spatula from a drawer, then tried to peel off the burned food with the utensil.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Chika... I didn't want to wake you, so I sought to make myself something to eat."

"I would suggest cereal next time, dear. **HNG!** " The pancake-of-sorts was stuck to the pan, like it was super-glued. Even as Chika peeled with her all her might, a strained expression clear on her face, it simply didn't budge. "C-C'mon...!"

"U-Understand..." Vert muttered back apologetically, automatically averting her eyes in shame.

It was only after 10 minutes of prying and pulling, coupled with two breaks to get some water, that Chika finally managed to pull the pancake off the pan. Of course, 'pancake' would be the last word for the black mess she was eyeing.

Without a word, the wide-eyed Oracle raised the thing above her head...

 **CLUNK**

... and bashed it _hard_ against the metallic counter as if to test its strength.

 **CLUNK**

Again.

 **CLUNK**

Once more.

 **CLUNK**

One more time.

 **CLUNK**

And five more times.

 **CLUNK**

"..."

Six hits later, Chika blinked.

There was not a single crack on the object which, in another word, would have been a pancake.

"Um..." The amount of embarrassment in Vert's smile could probably power a small village for weeks. "I apologize once again...?"

"..."

The shocked Oracle couldn't even find the will to respond at first.

"... How about I make some baked ziti, dearest?" Chika eventually offered with an obviously trembling smile. "It _is_ something like lunch time, after all."

"T-That would be lovely." Still bearing a bashful expression, Vert sat on a lone stool by the marble counter, eyeing Chika as she reached for a black folded apron in a nearby stand and moved to put it on, only then turning walking towards the fridge and opening it to gather the ingredients.

That was when Vert saw it.

 _'Honestly...'_

Clear to the blonde's eyes were the words _Kiss The Oracle,_ quite shamelessly displayed in bold white letters on the front of Chika's new outerwear as she brought the supplies to the counter, only to turn away from the CPU once again as she began arranging the ingredients.

Deathly embarrassment hanging on her shoulders or not, Vert still couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at that.

 _'She is such a child...'_

"Mm...~ Smells good..."

"Huh?" "Ah!"

At the sudden voice, two pairs of eyes pointed at the kitchen's doorway. As expected, right there was the little girl just barely awake, drowsily blinking as she clutched a small green pillow.

Then she yawned cutely.

"Hnnnng...!" Just like that, Vert's whole body trembled, the woman obviously resisting the urge to cry out in joy as her lips formed a wide, outright _shaking_ smile.

"Grrr..." Chika, meanwhile, opted to growl instead as she turned back towards the counter, the sound far too quiet for either of the other two to hear.

 _'That little brat already has Vert wrapped around her finger!_ _ARGH!'_

"It's lunch, darling. We seem have slept too much..." The Oracle heard Vert say in a fond, soothing and unprecedentedly _infuriating_ tone, undoubtedly because of the one she was addressing. "Are you in the mood for baked ziti? Not the best of wake up meals, but it is certainly delicious."

On the corner of Chika's sight, the small girl nodded. "Mmhm..." And then, without a word, Verna tottered towards the green-haired woman's spot and, without hesitation...

Hugged Chika's legs with her pair of short arms.

"E-Eh?!"

To say the Oracle didn't expect that would be an understatement.

 _'Kgh... Dammit...'_

Reaching for a cutting board and a knife nearby, Chika immediately attempted to focus on preparing the ingredients on the counter, willing herself _not to look down at any costs_ , for that was a sign of weakness.

Of course, that didn't change _how she still clearly felt Verna's small body hugging her!_

"Big... Sis..." The small _brat_ mumbled, eliciting a twitch from the green-haired woman's eye.

" _Kyaaaaa...!_ " And of course, from her place on the stool, Vert let out muffled _squeal_ at the cuteness displayed before her. "Tell me, little one, what might be your name?"

"Ver... Verna..." The little girl responded slowly as she rubbed her eyes, drowsily leaning on Chika's thighs.

 _'Gah...'_ That Chika had to _focus_ on _not_ _paying attention_ was quite telling.

"Verna... That is such a lovely name!" The blonde CPU happily declared, undoubtedly shooting the little girl a bright smile, Chika muses. "Why don't you come sit on your sister's lap? You look so tired."

"Mm..." Finally letting go of the Oracle, much to the woman's relief as scarlet eyes discreetly followed the little girl's movements, Verna sleepily hobbled towards Vert's location, stumbling quite a few times until she found her sister's body. From there, she crawled up and rested her head...

... right between Vert's breasts.

Chika almost choked on air.

In front of her, the blonde CPU was in a clear state of euphoria, completely focused on Verna as the little one treaded the fine line between conscious and unconscious while resting on her older sister's soft bosom.

 _'This kid...!'_ The Oracle grit her teeth, her fists tightening at the sight. _'I can't stand it...!'_

"Zzz..." As expected, it didn't take long for Verna to fall fully unconscious, with Vert lovingly petting her head. Both were smiling, undoubtedly blissful and happy.

Chika, however, was _far from that._

Slowly, her eyes fell on the large bladed utensil she was using to cut the beef.

It was quite the big and sharp knife.

A considerably big and very, _very_ sharp knife.

...

 _'Take this, take this, take this, take thiiiiiissss!'_ The Oracle relentlessly _massacred_ the poor ingredients in front of her, letting her anger out in a... mildly acceptable way.

A mildly acceptable way which was sure to _traumatize_ anyone who actually decided to pay attention to her.

... Well, at least she wasn't using it on anything that was breathing.

 _'Why... that... little...!'_

However, as much as it didn't seem like it, only half of Chika's focus was being utilized to relive the latest horror flick she watched with Cave by using the food supplies as victims. The other half was being used to occasionally glance at the Leanbox sisters every now and again, the sight only fueling her rage.

Vert hadn't noticed the bloodless carnage, and Verna was too sleepy to care, hogging all of the CPU's attention without even trying.

 _Chika_ _ **hated**_ _that kid!_

 _'Why has the True Goddess forsaken me? What have I done to deserve such torment?!'_

If Cave were here, she would have smirked at the Oracle's pitiful situation.

 _And that annoyed her._

 _'Stupid kids and their stupid... stupidity! Argh!'_ The Oracle was honestly glad she didn't say that aloud. _'I'll get you when you least expect it, kid! You'll see!'_

Chika convinced herself of that as she placed the desired tray filled with slaughtered and yet _perfectly presentable_ in the oven.

The Oracle would _surely_ deal with that brat! And she'd do it with the most efficient plan possible!

It'd be an _amazing_ plan! A _perfect_ plan to get rid of this interference without jeopardizing her future with her darling!

Chika didn't know just yet what such a plan would entail, but it'd undoubtedly be _great_!

 _'Little brat, your days of being an annoyance are counted...!'_

* * *

 **A/N: Jealous Chika is jealous. Let us hope and pray she doesn't use that knife on anything that has a heart beat. XD**

 **I do hope the reviews will be fixed by the time this goes up. Feedback is not feedback if you can't read it. -_-**

 **-Yuri**


	4. A Big Sister Who Can't Big Sister!

Happy.

Vert was undoubtedly happy.

No, she was more than that. Beyond happiness, beyond excitement, beyond even joy and delight!

Vert was _blissful._ If there was truly a moment where the CPU transcended all boundaries of merriness and pleasantness, _this would be that time! She was over the moon! Past the planets and galaxies in overwhelming euphoria! Not even a supernova could surpass this explosive emotion!_

Sitting next to Vert, happily watching TV on her own luxurious bed, was a _gift._ A gift blessed upon her from the heavens above. A gift that she had been begging for for years on end, only to receive it as she was finally losing hope...

Three simple words, words that she had never thought she would ever say, were finally hers to utter.

 _ **Her**_ _little sister._

The latter two were only her dream, a way of referring to her delusions. The first word, however, was much more important, the proof of the small girl's very existence.

Vert had received a little sister.

An unbelievably _adorable_ , darling little sister.

 _Verna._

 _'SQUEEEEEEE~'_

Internally, Vert was almost dying from ecstasy overload. On the outside... well, she wasn't any better: a big, stupid grin was plastered onto her face as she stared nonstop at her cute little sister, the kind which would look outright _creepy_ to any outsiders. But, honestly, could you blame her!? Lady Green Heart, the CPU without a sibling to call her own...

Finally. Gained. A. **Sister**!

This wasn't just a good day, _this was the best day of her entire existence! It was incredible! It was unbelievably amazing! It was simply too grand to be put into words!_

Verna still seemed somewhat distant from her, **but** , with Vert's endless upon endless amount of _in-game_ knowledge, she knew **exactly** how to max out Verna's affection points! It was-

"Siiiiiiiis..."

 _"_... Huh?" Vert's train of thought grinded to an immediate halt. She had been so transfixed in her happiness, so overwhelmed with excitement, she had failed to properly register the world around her.

The little girl, who before was watching the strange children's program about an anthropomorphic sponge, was looking at Vert with expectant eyes. Verna's hand was placed over her stomach, and she _frowned cutely._

Then, still staring at Vert with her sad, blue eyes which certainly asked for _something_ , she tilted her head curiously.

"Sis...?"

"..."

 _'SQUEE~'_

Just like that, Vert was losing it _again_. All she could focus on was Verna's adorableness. Her soft, marshmallow-like cheeks which just _begged_ to be pinched! The amazingly _cute_ pout she was shooting at the woman! Her wide, puppy-like eyes that stared strangely at her!

This girl was, without a doubt, _the most adorable little thing in the entire_ -

"Sis, you're weird."

Vert choked, her suddenly empty smile freezing in place.

In an instant, her mood fell like Planeptune's shares.

 _'Did she... D-Did she just...?'_

To be fair, Vert couldn't blame the young one for saying that. Vert _had_ been smiling stupidly at her for quite some time.

But, still...

 _'I feel as though I have been stabbed right through my heart...'_

That was horrible. Terrible, even.

To think a little girl could hurt her so much...

As she was thinking that, Verna suddenly climbed on Vert's lap, staring right into the woman's eyes all the time. Her gaze slowly went from weirded out to curious as she stared at the older blonde.

"..."

"..."

Then Verna poked her cheek.

"..."

"..."

Once again.

"..."

"..."

Vert blinked.

Verna poked her one more time.

"..."

"..."

And that was when it happened.

 _'Ah~'_

Suddenly, Vert fell into bliss once more, her smile once again gaining warmth as she stared at the curious little girl on her lap.

' _C-Can I... j-just grab her and hug her forever~?'_

Needless to say, Vert's mood was back to soaring the skies, flying all the way up to Celestia itself-

"Sis, is your brain dumb?"

-before hitting the ground with a sickening **'crack,'** her smile descending to subzero once more.

That was a hit. A _critical_ hit _._

 _'C-Children are so cruel...'_

"A-Ah, um..." Vert cleared her throat, pushing all her multitude of hurt feelings aside and putting on a motherly smile. "What is it, dear?"

"I'm hungry..." The little girl pouted.

"Uh, Verna, it hasn't even been a few minutes since your first meal. It was quite the spread in celebration, too."

"But Sis, I'm hungry..."

"..."

Vert blinked.

 _'Dear me, is her stomach a bottomless pit?'_ Vert pondered, eyes wide. _'I do remember when she_ _practically vacuumed down her food, and licked her plate clean. Honestly, that reminds me of when C-Sha ravaged the All-You-Can-Meat buffet...'_

It was then that it clicked.

 _'Ooooooooooh...'_

"Sis...?"

"Oh my..." Vert was beginning to see what she was dealing with, and she did not like it. "Erm, c-can't you wait just a bit-"

 _"I'm huuuuungry..."_

In an instant, Verna's lips began to quiver. Her eyes became adorable shimmering pools of azure, twinkling like the little stars in the night sky.

"A-Ah... Um..." Vert was thrown off by the sudden display. "Er..."

 _Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-_

 _'I-I can't do this, it's far too soon for another snack! B-But, she looks so adorable and heartbroken... No! This is an obvious trick to goad me! B-But, oh she's tricking me so effectively! Ergh, those eyes...'_

"P-Please, big sis...?" Verna spoke in an overly theatrical sad tone.

 _"..."_

Vert had lost.

"I-I shall obtain a snack for you, then..." The woman dejectedly relented, no match for the full force of Verna's Puppy Stare.

"Yay!" With a big smile on her face, Verna wrapped her arms around Vert. "Thanks, Sis!"

 _'Hnnnnnnnnn-'_

It took everything Vert had not to squeal as obnoxiously loud as possible right then and there.

"Mm...~" Vert did not hesitate to pet Verna's fluffy hair, however.

 _'So cute~'_

It took almost a full minute for Vert to regain herself, what with the _extremely adorable_ _giggles_ her little sister was emitting, but when she did, she lifted the young girl off her lap and plopping her on the bed.

"Stay here, I shall bring back something for you." said Vert, pointing to the spot Verna was seated on.

"Okay!" Verna nodded excitedly before going back to watching TV, giggling at the sponge and the stingy crab on-screen.

Chuckling to herself at the adorable sight, Vert slowly rose to her feet and made her way out of her room, silently wondering what she should gather for her cute little sister as she walked down the hallway. _'Perhaps some fruit, or maybe chocolate. Chips? Hm...'_

With those thoughts swirling around her mind, Vert calmly walked towards her own sacred stash of snacks in the kitchen, smiling all the way as she did so.

... Had she looked back, however, Vert might have noticed right then a certain Oracle peeking – or more specifically _glaring heatedly_ – into her bedroom right by the doorway, biting down on a green handkerchief as hard as humanly possible.

 _"T-That accursed brat...!"_

* * *

 **nibble nibble**

Vert had never thought something could have been eaten so cutely. She never thought someone _could_ eat cutely.

 **nibble nibble**

The young Candidate sitting on her bed served to prove her assumptions false. She was eating a chocolate bar, akin to a bunny eating a carrot.

 _It was adorable._

 _'How does she do it~? Squeee...'_ Vert was careful not to make her 'squeeing' audible. She couldn't help the smile, however. It was impossible to keep that contained.

"..."

As such, Verna, yet again, looked at her strangely.

"..." She ate her chocolate bar, staring at Vert as if she were some foreign creature.

 _'Hm...'_ Vert knew that look and, not wanting to have her feelings hurt for a third time, came up with a plan.

She raised her hand.

"...?" Verna tilted her head.

She lowered her hand onto Verna's forehead.

"..."

"..."

Vert then ran her gloved hand through the tiny one's golden locks, practically cradling her head. She was almost tempted to bring the little one in for a crushing hug...!

 _'Not... now... Hnnnnn-'_

"..."

Verna smiled. _Adorably._

"That tickles... Heehee..."

 _'Ah...~'_ Vert did it again, she had another glee attack. Undoubtedly, she had acquired dozens of Affection Points from that action alone! She was making excellent progress!

 **nibble nibble**

 _'Please, be adorable forever...~'_

Vert went back to staring at Verna, silently pondering what to do next with her adorable little sister. The Candidate, meanwhile, went back to eating her snack, not even noticing her big sister's gaze at first...

 _"Rgh..."_

And Chika remained vindictive and hateful from her room, watching the two sisters through the hidden camera in Vert's chambers.

 _'That little... ARGH!'_

* * *

"Sis, what is this...?"

Verna was seated in front of a large computer screen. The blinds were shut, the lights were off and the room was encased in darkness. The large screen shined brightly, making the young blonde squint, and what was displayed on the screen only served to confuse her.

Vert, meanwhile, wore a smile that could light up a nerd's basement. If happiness was measured in miles, she would be in Lowee.

 _'I can sense it! A round of 4GOII will undoubtedly awaken her gamer side!'_ Vert grinned, practically bouncing in excitement. _'I will show her the ways of MMO! the fascination of world building and grinding! The feeling of victory and excitement when you triumph over those lesser than you! Oh, we will be the greatest sibling team in history! I can see it all unravel before me!'_

Vert knew it to be true.

She and Verna... will conquer the MMO world!

No one could stand in the way of their sisterly power!

Her enemies will tremble before Vert's might, and be swayed by Verna's cuteness!

 _They will be unstoppable!_

"Sis...?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Why is that lady wearing so little-"

"Oho! Let us find something else do to, my dear sister!"

 _And thus, the dream died before it even became a reality..._

 _'I had cute DLC outfits for her too. Oh...'_

* * *

"..."

"..."

Verna was eating chips.

"..."

"..."

Vert was staring, occasionally smiling and petting her sister.

"..."

"..."

More staring...

More petting...

"..."

And then it hit her.

 _'Good goddess, what am I doing!?'_

Any sort of good mood she had was drowned in misery and doubt. It was as if her entire world fell apart in that moment.

 _'I-I... I do not know the first thing about raising Verna...' s_ he wailed internally. _'All of my experience comes in the form of imouto VNs! B-But...'_

Vert looked back at Verna, who was snacking casually and completely unaware of the total _meltdown_ the CPU was having right now.

 _'I-I have been blessed with the real thing, b-but my knowledge is rendered ineffective here! Ooooooh...'_ Vert visibly faltered. _'All those hours, all of those Affection Points, all of those achievements...! They are useless...'_

She honestly felt like crying. It wouldn't save her from the titanic amount of _shame_ that overcame her entire being, but at this point her pride had all but been thrown out the window.

 _'I feel so_ _foolish...'_

It was all a very tragic irony for the blonde. For years, Vert had teased and mocked Blanc about her methods of raising Rom and Ram. She had chided Noire for being hard on Uni. And, after a certain game, she had went all out on Neptune for _basically_ treating Nepgear as if she were a stain on the carpet.

Vert had considered herself to be of higher sibling quality than them. She frequently invited the Candidates to her own home, played with them, dressed them up, and even tried to adopt Rom on a few occasions.

But...

 _'Compared to me, Blanc may as well be a model sibling! Gah...'_ She felt a jab to her heart when she thought that. _'Even Neptune... I feel so pitiful...'_

"Siiiiiis, I'm thirsty..." Verna had been totally oblivious to her sisters self-deprecation. As a result, she eyed the older blonde with expectancy and an empty cup in her hand.

"... Ah." Vert says with a detached tone. "Of course, I will supply you with a refill..."

"Thanks, sis!" Verna bounced, then went back to watching the show about ninjas and turtles.

Vert smiled, then exited her room with the cup in her hand. _'At least Verna doesn't have to witness my inner sadness...'_ She sighs. _'Goddess_ _, I sound like an edgy teenager now... or S-Sha...'_

Traveling down the halls, passing the living room as she entered the kitchen connected to it, Vert approached the fridge.

 _'I feel like such a fool...'_ The blonde opened said fridge. _'Blanc will never let me hear the end of it, if she finds out...'_ She grabbed a carton of juice and poured it into the cup

 **Ding Dong~**

...Or she would have, if the CPU hadn't heard the sound of a doorbell being rung.

"Coming." A dejected Vert placed down the stuff in her hands, made her way to the front door, and swung it open. "Who is- Cave?"

"Oh, Lady Vert." The redhead waved, greeting her formally.

"What... brings you here?" Vert's sadness and dejection was replaced with curiosity for the moment. "I do not mind your company, but..."

"Well, after your mysterious disappearance in the morning, and receiving no answers to my phone calls in the afternoon, you can say I grew worried for my Goddess' well being."

Vert grew flustered. "I apologize for making you worried, Cave. I was distracted by... certain events."

"Oh?" Cave tilted her head. "What has transpired? If it was enough to distract you for several hours, then it must have been important."

"Erm..."

"Big sis! What's takin' so... long...?" Verna popped up in between Vert's legs, then proceeded to stare at the 'stranger' in the doorway.

"..." Vert went silent.

"..." Cave went silent.

"..." Verna went silent.

"..." Chika, wherever she was, went silent as well.

It remained that way for a long time...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Lady Vert...?"

"I can explain."

* * *

 **A/N: And that was the day Vert learned that real life and imouto VNs are two very different things. The irony is real with this one, folks. All we need is Blanny stopping by and smiling smugly at Vert's dumbness.**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to point something out: the age thing. It was established in mk2 that CPUs are born as children, most likely five as Verna is, but they grow up and 'freeze' when they hit maturity. The same will happen to Verna. Sorry to those who wanted her to be little forever, but that's how it works. owo**

 **Also, reviews. Gimme 'em. /owo/**

 **-Yuri**


	5. The Sorrows Of A Drunken Oracle!

It was a generic night in Leanbox. The atmosphere was calm and quiet; those outside were ready to return home and call it a night and those inside were either closing up shop or snuggling into their warm beds.

Overall, it was serene in the Land Of Green Pastures; too serene, even. Boring to few, relaxing to others...

"It's not _fair!_ "

"Indeed."

... and abnormally _loud_ to some.

In a quaint, old-fashioned bar located near the Basilicom, a certain pair of well-known Leanboxians were seated in the very back. The establishment itself was almost completely empty, save for the two in question, a short-haired brunette bartender cleaning empty glasses with a bored expression, and a blonde ponytailed waitress by the counter, resignedly awaiting orders which would never come.

"I have been _loyal_ to her for years! I have _yearned_ for her attention since I was a small child! I have been _nothing_ but good to her! Why-"

And it was a very good thing that they were the only ones in the bar. Leanbox's own Oracle was currently having an enraged meltdown, with the SMD Warrior known as Cave seated in front of her.

She was a true soldier.

"-that snot-nosed trouble-causing brat has ruined _everything!_ In mere minutes, she has completely stolen what I had been hoping and grasping for my whole _life! IT'S NOT FAIR!"_ As if to accentuate her frustration, Chika slammed her hands hard on the wooden table, causing it to shake considerably for a moment.

"Truly not." Cave, meanwhile, moved her hand to catch her glass of red wine before it could be spilled by the Oracle-generated tremor, all the while eyeing the other woman with a dullness in her everything.

"I mean, what have I done to deserve such torture!? _Nothing,_ that's what!"

"Of course."

"Am I just a third wheel now? Am I... _useless?"_ The Oracle shuddered. "Oh, it hurts to even think it!"

"So much sadness."

"..."

"..."

The greenette scowled, glaring at her friend. "I feel like you're mocking me."

The redhead, for her part, simply remained stoic. "Why, I cannot possibly fathom what would make you jump to such an accusation."

"..."

"..."

Cave elegantly sipped her drink.

Chika's eye twitched.

"..."

"..."

"Ugh..." The Oracle planted her head on the round table, giving up the staring contest and letting out several frustrated groans.

The SMD Agent blinked, giving the supposedly responsible and elegant Oracle a look most deadpan. "Are you quite done?"

"Mm..." Was said responsible and elegant Oracle's eloquent response.

Cave couldn't help but let loose a small smirk. "I shall take that as a 'yes.'"

"Shaddup..."

"Honestly, Chika..." The stoic woman began, setting her drink back on the table. "Verna is just a small child. Do you not think you are over-"

"I'm _not_ overreacting, Cave!" Chika instantly raised her head, shooting a glare at the redhead. "Can't you see that Lady Vert will soon forget about my existence?! Gosh, right now she's probably having the time of her life with that damn brat, singing in happiness for being an actual big sister!"

* * *

 _'HOW DO I EVEN BIG SISTER?!'_

Vert was undoubtedly panicked. Even more than that, she was downright _hysterical._

When the sudden realization that she had _no idea_ how to big sister hit her, the blonde just about had a heart attack.

 _'The VNs... the imoutos... they lied to me...'_

Everything she knew and had to offer was all for naught! This was a _living, breathing_ five-year old, not a simulation!

Curse her inability to distinguish real life from video games!

 _'Oh...'_ In the end, the CPU was left to despair over the situation. With Chika gone for the moment, all she could _hope_ to do was-

"Siiiiiiiis, I'm hungry!"

... _keep feeding Verna._

"Here you are." Vert handed another bag of Golditos to the young one, seated next to her on the bed, staring intently at the children's cartoon displayed by the screen before them. "Do... Do try to eat them slower, dear. We only have so much..."

"Okay!" Right after saying that, Verna immediately ripped the bag open, proceeding to fill herself with as many chips as possible.

And the CPU could only sigh in resignation.

 _'I feel so useless...'_

* * *

"I did _everything_ for my darling! From the housework to assisting with paperwork to _helping her on that blasted Four CPUs Online game of hers_!"

"It is called Four Goddesses Online, Chika."

"She appreciated me _immensely_ , kind of! I just _know_ that she was starting to love me! And then that brat came and _completely destroyed my happy weekend_!"

"It is currently Thursday, Chika."

The greenette continued her childish banter, while Cave calmly sipped her drink and corrected the other woman when the time called for it.

Which meant every five seconds, of course.

"I don't get it! It's like the world wants me to suffer! Oh, how cruel it can be! Is my fate to be condemned by that insufferable brat for the rest of my days!? How horrible! O, how terrible destiny is!"

"... If you were not an obsessive stalker with an overwhelming need for Lady Vert's attention, you may have been a decent Opera performer."

The Oracle shot a glare at the redhead. "You are _not_ helping!"

Cave simply tilted her head, emerald eyes shining in the just the barest hint of amusement. "Should I be?"

"Argh..." Amidst her frustration, the infuriated woman could only place her head in her hands.

The redhead, meanwhile, simply took a sip of her wine "Hm, what a lovely brand. It is undoubtedly new to this establishment."

"Y-You're so inconsiderate!" Chika whined, staring straight into the redhead's eye with saddened scarlet orbs, tears beginning to pool in them. "C-Can't you see I am in distress?"

"All because of an-"

"I'M NOT OVERREACTING!" The Oracle slammed her hands on the table, her face red with rage.

"... Hm." The SMD Agent let out a minuscule smile, possibly enjoying her friend's dilemma a bit more than she should.

"Cave, please comfort me!" Chika suddenly begged, looking like she was about to cry. "Praise me until I forget that blasted brat!"

"... Your crying voice has the unique aspect of a dying boxbird."

" **Sniff** You're so good to meeeeee!"

* * *

"Hello, Noire! It is such a nice evening- Ah, I am interrupting your work, you say? I should just state my business, you say? I really must stop repeating your words, you say? Why, calm down for a moment. I have but a simple inquiry. Tell me, hypothetically speaking, if you were to gain a new little sister to alleviate the loneliness in your life, how would you take care of her? ... Noire? Hello?"

Vert was met with the sound of a dial tone. Just like that, her hopeful smile lost all its life.

 _'Notgoodnotgoodnotgood!'_ The CPU outright _panicked_. _'Noire was my only chance! Neptune does not know the first thing about being a proper elder sister, and Blanc... Oh goddess, I would_ _ **never**_ _stoop that low...'_

Despite being clearly desperate, Vert still had _some_ pride. Blanc was _not_ an option.

 _Never an option._

 _'This is quite troublesome...'_ She sighed at the thought, her empty smile finally fading. _'I never thought I would so much as consider asking for sisterly advice...'_

The Goddess somberly turned her head to face Verna, who was still sitting cross-legged on her bed, happily eating snacks and watching cartoons.

A small smile made its way to the woman's lips.

 _'She's so cute...'_

And then it died.

 _'But why can't I be a proper big sister!? Is this my ultimate fate? How cruel!_ "

"Siiiiis, I'm thirsty..."

"C-Coming right up, dear...!"

* * *

"The sun shure is beautiful tonight, Cavey~"

"First, you mean 'moon.' Second, we are indoors. Third, tonight is _cloudy_ , Chika. _"_

The situation was quite troublesome for Cave.

Losing herself in her own amusement for a moment and failing to stop her friend from acting stupidly, she inadvertently brought upon herself something she encountered a number of times before, part of the greenette that the redhead wasn't very fond of.

 _Drunk Chika._

 **"Hic**..." The Oracle's head was on the table, and beside the droopy and slouching greenette were several empty glasses. Since it became clear Cave was apt for teasing her rather than helping, the Oracle decided to drown her sorrows in alcohol.

This was a very, _very_ poor idea, for a _very_ good reason...

"You _know_ you have a low tolerance, Chika. Honestly, I don't see why you do this to yourself..." Cave grunted, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Will I need to carry you home again...?"

The greenette simply lifted her head to look the redhead in the eyes, smiling lazily at her. "Hehehe... **Hic**... I must admit, Cavey... You're a... pretty nice guy..."

"... I shall not even dignify that with a response."

"C'mon Cavey...~" The Oracle cooed, playing with her empty glass. "You're sho beautchiful...~"

"Stop." Frowning, the redhead stood up, placing the money on the table before gesturing for her friend to follow her. "Let us get you home Chika, before you pick a fight with the waitress or the like..."

 _'Again,'_ Cave sullenly reminded herself just as said waitress, by the corner of her sight, shot her a sideways glare.

"Don' wanna..." the drunk Oracle whined back, twisting her lips into a pout.

The redhead sighed. "Do not make me drag you out once more..." Grasping her friend's arm, the SMD Agent proceeded to pull her _very_ roughly.

"OW!" As a result, the Oracle was practically launched from her seat, only to be caught effortlessly by Cave, the greenette's head softly impacting the redhead's chest as an arm went around her waist, preventing the drunken woman from possibly falling to the ground even if her legs gave in.

To the outside eye, such a position would look incredibly bold, romantic even, but the situation itself was far from it.

"Hihihi... **Hic**..." Well, at least for _Cave_ it wasn't, as the drunk Chika seemed quite pleased with it. "You're so warm...~"

"Must I truly reprimand you...?" the SMD Agent muttered under her breath, completely uninterested in entertaining her friend's alcoholic fantasies. "Let us depart, please."

"Eh..." The woman's reply was leaning into her friend's hold, which is simply another way to say she buried her face in the redhead's bosom. _"Heehee...~"_

 _'Oh, for the love of-'_

Cave could only groan at the intoxicated greenette's actions. Sighing in resignation, the redhead then placed an arm behind Chika's thighs, the other by the Oracle's back and, using her strength...

"Whoa...~"

... lifted the greenette in a bridal carry, much to the drunk woman's pleasure if the goofy smile was any indication.

 _'She is unbelievable...'_

"This is shooo nice... **Hic**..." the respectable Oracle mumbled, staring unfocused into Cave's eyes.

The redhead couldn't help but roll her eyes at Chika's drunk elation before moving to the exit with the happy greenette in tow, fully aware of the unamused stares being sent at them by both bartender and waitress.

With their constant visits, the novelty of the duo's antics had long since worn off in this establishment, after all.

* * *

That night was an especially dark one, the moon nowhere to be seen. The sky was mostly covered in clouds, so much that Cave found herself considerably concerned over the possibility of rain.

Meanwhile, in the world under the stars, the streets were noticeably barren, something the redhead was very thankful for as she carried the supposedly respectable yet drunk Oracle, and the temperature was befitting of the approaching winter.

As such, it was no surprise that Chika eventually shivered under the cold breeze.

"Mm... too cold..." the woman complained, huddling closer to Cave for warmth.

"You should have brought a jacket, Chika..." A sigh escaped the redhead's lips. "You know as well as I do that we are entering winter."

"It's not sexy 'nough..." She grumbled, shamelessly nuzzling against her friend's soft and warm chest. "Dearest won' notice me if I'm not sexy..."

"..." Cave couldn't fathom a response to that, even if she tried.

 _'Chika Hakozaki, what is wrong with you?'_ The very thought made her frown. _'You crave for Lady Vert's attention, like a typical cartoon girl who wishes for her upperclassman to notice her...'_

"So faaaaar..." the greenette suddenly mumbled, staring at the clouds.

"..."

 _'As I was thinking... Your interest on Lady Vert is far beyond normal.'_

The redhead's frown deepened at that. The Oracle had been clamoring for Lady Vert's attention for a considerable length of time; the redhead could recall back to when they were _children_.

 _'You would draw pictures of Lady Vert, and give them to her. You would always buy dolls in Lady Vert's likeness, you even began attempting to cook for her when you were only 12...'_

" **Hic**... Hihihi..." Chika was staring into nothing with a lazy grin.

 _"Hm...'_ The redhead didn't even bat an eye at the greenette's strange actions. _'You are also hopelessly immature, an accomplished stalker, a massive crybaby who starts drunken fights...'_

She glanced down at the greenette, who was fascinated by her own hair.

"Ooooh, pretty...~"

"..."

 _'Yet... you are still my best friend...'_

"Ehehe~" the Oracle giggled as she quite shamelessly groped Cave's chest.

 _'... Somehow.'_

It was a mystery to her. Despite all of Chika's incredibly numerous and blatantly jarring faults, the redhead still considered her not only a close friend, but her _best_ friend.

Did she simply feel pitiful towards her? Maybe.

Was it some unnatural pull to make sure the Oracle didn't harm herself with her constant thoughtless actions? Likely.

Or perhaps it was a vain attempt at keeping Chika's reputation at a somewhat respected level. Goddess knows the many times Cave had to physically pry her friend away from either another drink or a fellow drunk she decided to pick a bone with.

 _'You are far more trouble than you are worth, Chika... but I cannot even find it in myself to be truly mad at you...'_

"Heehee...~" The greenette then bit her own hair, indescribable happiness in her face for whatever reason.

"..."

 _'No matter how much I may want to..."_

The friendship of the SMD Agent and the Oracle of Leanbox was a strange one, indeed.

"You're so nice, Cavey...~" Chika suddenly mumbled, her eyes pointing at her friend's for once.

"And how exactly am I nice _this_ time?" The twintailed woman raised an eyebrow. "All I have been doing is carrying you home, which you have already declared as 'nice,' so elaborate."

"I mean, I mean, _I_ meeeean..." the Oracle trailed off, her already scarlet cheeks darkening a tad more. "You're... Mm... always there..."

"... Eh?" The crimsonette was thrown off by those words. "What do you mean...?"

"You're alwaaaays there, Cavey. Wh'never I'm feelin' down, you're there for me... like a doggie... Heehee..."

"..." Cave couldn't find it in herself to argue with that statement, no matter how weird it sounded.

"Anywhere I go, you're there behind me. Ev'n when I'm being a big ol' dummy, you help me out... that's really nice..."

"..." Again, she could not object.

"Ehehe, you're a good friend..." the drunk woman declared, poked her friend's cheek for no reason.

"I... uh... thank you...?" Needless to say, said friend didn't really know how to respond.

"Coooool..." the greenette murmured, her eyes drooping. "I like you, Cavey..."

 _'Honestly...'_

The stoic woman sighed, smiling slightly.

"I cannot say I am not fond of you as well, Chika."

"Yaaaaay..." The Oracle raised her arm lazily in celebration.

Cave let loose a rare chuckle.

 _'You really are quite something, Chika...'_ The redhead thought fondly. _'You haven't changed at all, since the day we met...'_

"Cavey, why're there shoooo many ligh'bulbs in the sky...?"

 _'... For better or for worse.'_

* * *

Vert felt an overwhelming sense of defeat flow inside her.

She had endured loneliness for _decades_ before she had gained Verna. Decades that allowed her to learn how to be _the_ greatest big sister ever!

... Or at least she _thought_ so.

Not only had Vert single-handedly proved that years of video game knowledge meant next to nothing in real life, not only had she realized that Blanc was a far superior sister than her - and the very thought made her nearly convulse violently - but she had proven that she, in fact, _didn't know how to take care of Verna._

It was soul-crushing! It destroyed her on the inside knowing she, the one who begged for a sister for years on end, was incapable of being such! It _devastated_ and _wounded_ her pride! It crumbled her self-esteem to dust! Could anything _possibly_ insult her more than her own incapability could!?

 ** _Achievement Unlocked - Overwhelming Despair! (You failed as an older sister!)_**

"Oh, come on!"

"Sis, why are you yelling? Did a buggy get in you hair?"

"A-Ah..." The CPU was snapped out of her inner wailing when she noticed that on Verna's hands was her own flowing hair. "Verna...?"

"Hm?" The little one, who was standing on Vert's lap, currently ignoring the snacks next to them on the couch as her hands toyed with the woman's long blonde strands, looked at her confusedly.

"... What are you doing, dear?" the CPU asked as she raised an eyebrow at the strange sight.

"Checking for buggies!" Verna responded innocently, not a trace of dishonesty nor shame in her voice.

 _It was adorable._

 _'Hnnnnnnnnn-'_ "I see..."

Just like that, Verna was left to mess with the CPU's hair, while Vert herself kept her squealing to a minimum. Instead of the woman's room, the sisters Green had relocated to the living room. As for the reason why, all which must be said is that it was closer to the snack-filled kitchen.

As expected, the little girl hadn't been bothered by this at all, still enjoying the kids cartoons being displayed on the large screen.

"Heehee, that kitty got squashed!" Verna giggled, pointing excitedly at the TV.

That made Vert smile.

 _'She is so cute, so blissful...'_

And then she frowned.

 _'Why must I be a failure?! It is not fair in the slightest...'_

 **Ding** "Greetings, Lady Vert."

"Cave?" The blonde noticed the doors of her elevator slid open, and in walked the stoic redhead...

... with a passed out Oracle being held in her arms.

"..."

"..."

"Zzz..."

"What," was all the CPU said, staring blankly at the sight.

"I feel it would be better if you did not ask questions, Lady Vert." Cave said casually, though she was obviously averting her eyes from the Goddess.

"... Indeed." The CPU sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Honestly, Chika..."

"Heehee, Big Sis Chika looks funny." Verna giggled adorable, still holding onto Vert's hair.

"Oh, Verna..." Even as she let out a second sigh, the bigger blonde could only pet the smaller one's head.

"At any rate, I will settle Chika into her room." Cave departed down the hall, not even looking at her once.

"... Please do so." Vert just went along with it, willfully ignoring what just happened and turning back towards the TV.

As for the little girl...

"Siiiiiis, I'm hungry!"

"E-Eh? Verna, you just-"

"Siiiiiiis..."

 _'Hnnnnnnn-'_

* * *

"You really are troublesome, Chika..."

The begrudged redhead had tasked herself to getting the green Oracle to bed, a mission she almost immediately ended up regretting.

For one, she had to _get_ to her dear friends room. While that may not have seemed like such a daunting task, once you realized that the Oracle's bedroom was a good _three blocks_ away from the household's entrance, what with how massive the place is, such a job presented itself as quite the annoying journey.

 _'I do wonder if the Basilicom was built this way on purpose...'_ The warrior grunted. _'The first CPU must have been a friendship tester...'_

It's not as if the soldier would become tired from traveling such a distance – she was a trained warrior for goodness' sake! – but it _did_ have an effect on her overall tolerance. One who would have to travel this ludicrous of a distance just to get to their own bedroom was a soldier themselves.

At the thought, the twintailed woman felt a small pang of sympathy for her green-haired friend.

"It's as if I can hear the first CPU laughing at my annoyance..." Sighing, Cave had finally located the door to Chika's room. It was a fine, upstanding member of the door race, white on green, with a golden doorknob of all things.

"How... glorifying..." The woman deadpanned before moving closer, twisting the hand on the Oracle's back and going through the task of turning the knob whilst holding the drunk woman.

The room itself was quite simplistic, a stark contrast to the merciless assault of gloating that came in the form of polished oak. Before her was a simple queen-sized bed adorned with green covers, big white pillows and an even bigger Green Heart bodypillow.

Cave couldn't resist rolling her eyes.

 _'That one in particular is certainly new...'_

 **Plop** The redhead set her friend down on the bed, which obviously meant she threw the greenette on the mattress a bit carelessly. To Cave, it didn't really matter as long as Chika was still breathing.

 _'I will be generous enough to leave a garbage can by her bed.'_ The redhead headed for the bathroom, thankfully connected to Chika's room, and picked up a white bin with her hand. _'If she shall complain the next day, I cannot say she- Hm?'_

"..."

"..."

Emerald eyes met azure.

"..."

"..."

A certain little girl that was barely past Cave's waist in height stood at the bathroom's doorway, curiosity shining on her features.

 _'Was she not with Lady Vert earlier...? Did she spend some time with her older sister before..._ _ **running**_ _to this location?'_

The thought felt almost mind-numbing to the redhead. That amount of stamina can't be normal.

And then, Verna spoke.

"... Hi."

"... Greetings," Cave replied automatically.

It was silent for a short period of time. The little girl, the Candidate of Leanbox, stared at her cutely, perhaps thinking about something.

"Heehee..." And then she giggled.

"...?" Immediately, it was as if marks appeared around the confused redhead. "Is something funny, little one?"

"Big Sis Cave is so nice to Big Sis Chika, heehee..." Verna responded, smiling a tiny, adorable smile.

The big sister in question quirked an eyebrow. "Did you call me...?"

"Yup!" The little girl nodded excitedly.

"Why Big Sis...?" The redhead felt the need to ask.

"Because Big Sis Cave is Big Sis Cave!" Verna happily replied, pointing excitedly at the woman.

"... Huh." The woman didn't have a counter for that, so she simply shrugged it off as childish innocence. "Very well, then."

"Heehee!" It was then that the tiny one simply walked up to her and hugged her legs. "You're so nice, Big Sis Cave!"

"Hm..." Even Cave, the trained soldier she was, couldn't resist petting Verna's head, eliciting a cute giggle from her.

The redhead smiled softly.

"Big Sis Cave is cool..." the little girl muttered as she let go of the woman, shooting her a bright smile. "I wanna be like you and Big Sis Chika!"

"Hm?" The redhead couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "You wish to be like... Chika, also?"

"Yeah!" Verna outright bounced in place as she nodded.

"Er..." The woman actually found herself at a loss for words. "I... do not feel that would be the appropriate course of action. Chika is quite... unique, after all."

 _'Unique in all the wrong ways,'_ Cave silently thought to herself.

"Huh?" Verna tilted her head in confusion, before speaking in the most innocent of tones. "But, but... isn't Big Sis Chika really nice, and cool, and amazing?"

"Hm?" The redhead blinked at those words, her mind attempting to process them.

For the first second after the question, she didn't respond at all.

The same was true for the next one, as the SMD Agent remained completely silent.

A third second passed, and not a word exited the woman's lips.

And then...

"Pfffft..." Cave, in a rare moment of expression, had to _stifle her laughte_ r. "E-Excuse me for a second..." Hastily, the woman turned away from Verna, careful not to hit her with the trash bin. _"Hahahaha... 'Nice,' the little girl says... H-Hilarious... Chika... 'n-nice'... 'cool,' 'cool' she said... Hehehe..._ **Ahem**!" with a short cough, the redhead regained her composure, turning once more towards the little girl with a stoic face. "Well, as you long as you follow _that_ image of hers, I see no problems in your goal."

"Um..." Verna tilted her head, a confused frown on her features "... Big Sis Cave uses strange words."

"That I do, little one. That I do. Now, I believe it is about time for me to depart." Giving the quizzical Verna one last pat, the woman walked around the Leanboxic Candidate and exited the bathroom.

Placing the white bin by Chika's bed, Cave then proceeded to make her way out, leaving behind a dumbfounded little girl who will surely ask questions to her older sister and an unconscious drunk woman who will most certainly be complaining by the first cracks of dawn.

 _"...'Amazing'... C-Chika, she said, is 'a-amazing'... Hehehe..."_

And, for the whole journey home, the warrior had the hardest time of her life controlling her laughter, an almost unprecedented event by itself.

Needless to say, she received many a strange look that night.

* * *

 **A/N: Cave is such a good friend, ain't she? Expect more of her, since someone has to reel in Chika's craziness.**

 **Annnnnyway, I have to point out that things might not go according to plan here. Going by the Wednesday deadline is harder than I thought, but I'll do my best to keep these chapters consistent and of good quality.**

 **Also, constructive reviews are appreciated. I know this is a fluffy story with cute Verna and jealous Chika, but it's better than 'it was good, keep it up.'**

 **Until next time.**

 **-Yuri**


	6. The Bug Hunt! Enter Big Sister Neptune!

Vert was completely convinced that she was living in a nightmare. It was, quite obviously, the only logical conclusion the blonde could _simply_ jump to. There was clearly no other option.

Why else would she be a complete and utter failure as an older sister?

How else could she so much as even _consider_ asking her fellow CPUs for advice?

 _Why else_ would _she be entertaining the thought of asking Blanc for aid?_

 _ **Blanc!**_

"..."

The Goddess wanted to smack herself. Not in the sense that she would simply make her palm meet her cheek in a sudden manner - that would simply be too easy - the Lady of Green physically wanted to travel back in time, catch herself playing a little sister VN, and promptly _slap_ her past self across the face for being so idiotic.

 _'If only...'_

Vert could only stare at the ceiling with an expression of longing; of despair, even. Her room was pitch black, save for rays of sunlight barely popping out the green translucent curtains. The CPU assumed it was sunrise; possibly the earliest she had ever woken up. There was a good reason for it, of course: the Lady Green Heart of Leanbox had been so troubled by her sisterly dilemma that she had abstained from sleep for quite some time.

 _'Oh my, have I only received an hour's worth of sleep...?'_ thought Vert, widening her eyes, _'If it truly is the break of dawn, and I attempted sleep around four... gracious...'_

The CPU's sleep schedule was an odd one, but it had never gotten to _this_ point.

 _'Chika would blow a gasket if she found out. Actually, perhaps 'gasket' is an understatement...'_ The CPU sighed. _'She really does worry too much, but her worry is justified nonetheless...'_

Lady Green Heart really did suck at taking care of herself.

 _But…_

 _'Trivial thoughts will not ignore the situation at hand, though I can try with all of my power...'_

That's right. Verna. The young child who deserved far better than her.

 _'I am such a fool... to think video game knowledge could work in real life...'_

The CPU could already hear the mocking laughter; the scornful comments from Blanc especially. Goddess knows the brunette would die for a chance like that.

Which is why it was essential to keep the child away from her for as long as possible, if only for the sake of her already crumbling pride.

 _'I feel so... helpless...'_

It had only been a single day, yet so much had happened. In just twenty-four hours, Lady Green Heart's whole world was turned upside down.

 _'It was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life...'_ she thought to herself, gripping the body pillow next to her. _'But it had all gone wrong so quickly...'_

It was simply unfair! She wanted nothing more than to give the new Candidate all the love and support any great big sister would, but…

 _'To have been blessed with a little sister at long last, only to fall flat on my face. How cruel...'_ the CPU whimpered in her mind. _'Is this my fate? To forever be the single worst elder sister in Gamindustri?'_ The Leanboxian CPU shuddered at the thought _. 'In that case, Verna deserves much better than what I have given her. I am nothing but a failure, a fool...'_

Amidst her despair, the woman squeezed her pillow tighter, feeling nothing but absolute-

"Mm..."

... Huh?

"...?"

The ailing big sister was sure that wasn't her imagination. She definitely _heard_ what sounded like an adorable little sound come from the object that was in her arms; an object she _thought_ was her body pillow…

"Big... sis..."

"...!"

 _But instead it was the very sister she was lamenting about!?_

 _ **"!"**_

The CPU nearly had a heart attack, the realization of what she was _truly_ holding striking her like a lightning bolt.

 _'W-Wha...'_ Her mind was in the process of rebooting, expressing difficulty in trying to process the _adorable_ sight in her arms.

And then, just as everything became more lucid…

 _'SocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocutesocuteSOCUTE!'_ the woman _screamed_ internally. _'Toocutetoocutetoocutetoocutetoo- AHEM!'_ Clearing her mental throat, she attempted to put herself in a sitting position.

"Zzz..." The tiny blonde, on the other hand, wrapped her arms around the CPU's waist, quite unwilling to let her older sister get away.

 _It was adorable._

 _'Hnnnnnnnnn-'_

To say that Vert tried to resist the cuteness would be an overstatement.

She failed _miserably,_ after all.

 _'Too... cute... Ah...~'_ The woman collapsed in just a moment, falling right back to her previous position.

"Zzz..." Verna, meanwhile, continued to sleep cutely, still latched onto the woman. Without a second thought, the CPU ran her hand through the young one's hair, eliciting the cutest of giggles from the sleeping girl.

 _'Truly a blessing...'_ the woman thought as she cuddled her little sister. ' _Looking at her sleeping face alone makes me want to cry in joy. Ah...~'_

Her lamenting was halted right then, resulting in clear and sound thoughts to return to her mind.

 _'Cutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecutecute-'_

... Sort of.

"Heehee..." The little girl, for her part, simply giggled in her sleep, snuggling closer to her sister.

 _'So... adorable... gah...'_ She couldn't help but squeeze Verna tighter. _'Too adorable...'_

"Mm..."

 _'Far too adorable...'_

The CPU almost couldn't believe the happiness she felt as she lied in bed with her little sister, hugging the small girl close; merely holding the child in her arms was enough to expel any negative thoughts from her mind, even if only temporarily!

It was ironic, really; the very girl she was having so much trouble with was the only thing keeping her together.

 _'Calm down, Vert. You are a thinking creature, you are a focused woman. You should not let this bother you this much!'_ The woman tried to force sense into her mind. A daunting task, for sure. _'Verna... she looks up to you. She thinks highly of you! You must not let something this trivial weigh you down!'_

"Big... sis..." The young one mumbled in her sleep.

 _'Hnnnnnnn- No, not again!'_ Forcing her mind away from the cuteness, the CPU instead focused on the task at hand

 _'I need a plan... of some sort. One that involves improving my skills. As of now, I am below 0...'_

Such a task was something the new big sister never thought she would be presented with. Then again, she never expected to completely and utterly doubt her skills as an elder sister in the first place, so the situation came full circle for her. Besides, it was obvious she wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, so she might as well use her free time wisely and take action.

 _'Perhaps I will take to the Internep, but first...'_

"Zzz..."

The busty woman had to deal with the sleeping child as _carefully_ as she could possibly manage. Gently, slowly, the woman began sliding away from the younger sister's grip, taking every possible measure not to awaken the little girl.

Useless big sister or not, _everyone_ knows that forcing a little girl awake was a _bad idea_. Graciously, the CPU slipped out of her sister's tiny grasp. For a brief moment, it seemed like everything had gone perfectly.

"Mm..."

And then the little one _stirred in her sleep_ , her arms reaching out for something to replace her older sister.

"...!" Thinking quick, Vert reached for a nearby pillow and gently placed it near her sister. Not a moment later, the sleeping girl grabbed and squeezed the life out of it, a cute little smile of contentment on her lips.

"Heehee..."

The CPU sighed in relief.

 _'Crisis averted...'_

Feeling more awake than ever, the blonde goddess felt inclined to turn on her computer. If anything was going to aid her in this sisterly catastrophe, surely it was the power of the Internep!

 _'At least... I should hope so...'_

As slowly and silently as possible, the blonde approached her precious computer with incredibly careful movements. It would certainly be prudent to turn on the lights of this dark room for such a task, but chances are doing so would instantly wake Verna.

That was the one thing the older sister was trying to prevent.

As such, walking in the dark it is!

 _'As I cannot see, I must be very,_ _ **very**_ _careful- OW!'_ The woman winced, silently screaming in pain as her bare foot met something sharp, to which a **crunch** followed just a moment later. _'Ugh... I hope that was nothing important...'_

Carefully reaching out in front of her body amidst the darkness, the gaming Goddess was eventually able to locate her divine line-up of screens and keyboards. Smiling in satisfaction, the blonde pulled up her elegant green armchair and promptly sat on its cushioned surface.

Without further delay, the CPU activated the middle screen of her complex gaming layout, immediately adjusting its brightness and muting the speakers to ensure that her little sister remained asleep.

"Zzz..." A quick look backwards revealed said little sister cuddling the pillow, holding onto it as if it were a life raft.

 _'So adorable...!'_

Letting her eyes watch over Verna for a few more instants to take in as much cuteness as possible, Vert eventually turned back towards the screen. Inputting her password and pressing enter. It took only a moment for her desktop's wallpaper to show itself in all of its questionably R18 glory.

And just like that, she was almost there.

 _'Now, let us journey to Goggle...'_

The CPU was quick to open the browser and locate the search engine. Her hands hovered over the keyboard, ready to type at a moment's notice.

"..."

 _'What should I even search for...?'_

It was such a simple question, yet unbearably _complex_. She must become a better big sister, but where should she begin?

Maybe by educating herself on something kids liked these days...?

 _'Goodness, I feel lost already...'_ Slumping back in her seat, the woman thought back to all the times Blanc had handed her Rom and Ram. Such occurrences happened when she was either busy or just wanted them out of her hair, but the CPU certainly had not a single objection to that.

Looking back, Vert missed the chance to take advantage of the vast opportunities quite horribly, but she digressed.

 _'Rom and Ram... I have never properly paid attention to what held their interest...'_ the CPU bit her lip, eyes narrowing as her frustration grew. _'No, it is far worse than that. In truth,_ _ **anything**_ _would grab their attention...'_

"..."

 _'Well, mostly little Ram, but my point stands.'_

So it seemed the twins' countless visits had added up to nothing in the long run. Saying the CPU was disappointed would have been a heavy understatement.

 _'Now that I think about it, all I have ever done was give them snacks and show them my extensive collections...'_ The CPU took time to ponder. _'A decision that Blanc screams at me about to this day. It's an acquired taste, but I again digress.'_

That said, it was clear that her memories of the twins would be of no help here; She had to dig back further.

 _'Hm... Nepgear visited quite frequently in the past...'_ The CPU recalled fondly. _'I do remember having her try on various outfits, and attempting to convert her towards my tastes, but that is as far as my remembrances go...'_

It seemed focusing her thoughts on the Planeptune Candidate was equally as useless.

 _'As for Uni...'_

"..."

The woman simply crossed her name off the list, no problems there.

 _'Well, there is still Peashy... Wait a moment, no, I interacted with her as much as with Uni.'_

In other words, she could not even name the small girl's _favorite color_.

 _'This is very troubling...'_ At the realization that she had no names left to think about, a scowl crossed the woman's lips. _'Any past experiences I had with real little sisters were just as worthless as the VNs...! All of my knowledge is useless, useless, useless...!'_

Reminiscing about the past only provided Vert more frustration; she had been convinced that her failings had began from the moment Verna was born, but it seemed like her idiocy had its start far earlier than the CPU would care to admit.

At least, not out loud.

 _'I am such an ignorant dolt...'_ the woman lifelessly slumped in her chair. _'So thoughtless, so careless, so... dumb. Neptune may as well be a model older sister compared to me. Ghk...'_ The thought alone was a crippling blow to the CPU's already wounded pride. _'To think I boasted myself as superior for so long, I feel like a fool...'_

Letting out a long sigh, the woman straightened her posture in her seat, directing her blue eyes towards the screen before her. The _Goggle_ logo stared right back, as if it were mocking her in some fashion.

It wasn't, however; it was only a lifeless logo. Any feeling it elicited from the CPU had its roots deep inside her own mind.

 _And she hated that._

 _'I promised myself I would not let this weigh me down. I_ _ **know**_ _I am better than this...'_ The woman glanced back at her little sister with hesitant azure eyes. The little girl slept peacefully on her elegant bed. _'I must retain a favorable state of mind, or else I will never get anywhere...'_

Sighing for what she hoped to be the final time, Vert directed her sight back to the screen, just as her fingers began typing. _'How... to be... a good... big sister... Goodness, that sounds pathetic...'_ Her inquiry fully written, the CPU immediately pressed the enter key, and thousands of results popped up instantly.

Without further ado, the woman began inspecting every link, seeking the answer to all her troubles. Of course, the very first link she clicked on proved to be unhelpful right off the bat.

 _'How To Be A Great Big Sister F-For Dummies?'_ The woman's eyes went wide at the title of the book. _'Goddess, how insulting...'_

"..."

"..."

"..."

 _'Add to cart...'_

Moving on from her incredibly shameful purchase, the CPU followed up her search with a website that appeared to specialize with her struggles.

 _'Wondering why you're a failure as a sibling?'_ she read silently. _'Is your little sister considering moving out because she can't stand to be in your presence anymore? Don't worry, there is help!'_

"..."

"..."

"..."

 _'I will now proceed to click the X button...'_

Another hit on her broken self-esteem. Life was relentless.

 _'It's as if the world loves watching me suffer. Rgh...'_ Just barely holding in her frustration, the blonde woman clicked page after page the Goggle results placed, foregoing her meticulous search in favor of simply looking for something, _anything_ , that can catch her attention.

 _'Hm... I do wonder if Verna would show any interest in my collections,'_ the Goddess pondered. _'It certainly sounds far-fetched, but I shouldn't ignore possibilities- Oh?'_

Suddenly, a certain ad near the top of a page caught her eye.

It wasn't anything that made it stand out from the rest–in truth, it was quite stale and standard on all accounts–but something about it called out to the Lady of Green.

 _'Bug... hunting...?'_

Somehow, for whatever reason, the random mention of that particular outdoor activity made the CPU pause and think.

Personally, she was indifferent to insects, while Chika outright _hated_ bugs and would screech at the mere sight of them; Cave, in the meantime, was quite fond of the minuscule beings.

But none of that answered the most important question.

 _'Would Verna like hunting... insects...?'_

Needless to say, the CPU simply didn't know; she was both horribly out of touch with what children liked these days – something she would _never_ utter out loud due to obvious age-related implications – and completely unsure as to her sisters tastes.

 _'However, she is a child. There is no doubt she would enjoy the taste of an adventure, no matter how small. That said, it would also be an opportune way to get her outside without necessarily exposing her. Chika would certainly come with us, although there is no doubt she would be quite... vocal about her disagreements with the goal of this outing. Then again, she is_ _ **always**_ _quite vocal, so there is no novelty there.'_

All things considered, the CPU really had nothing to lose by doing this, had she?

 _'It_ _ **is**_ _worth a shot, I suppose. However... No, I mustn't continue that line of thought; it would simply deprive me of my only idea.'_

With that in mind, the failing big sister pushed all the doubts to the back of her mind, ignoring all the 'maybes,' 'what-ifs' and even the frown on her features. And then, without hesitation…

She clicked.

* * *

Vert honestly didn't know what to expect.

'Bug hunting' was about as enthralling as it sounded, she supposed, spending hours a day searching for insects that only the likes of purple haired maniacs or meticulous bug enthusiasts would find interesting. In such a scenario, it was quite easy to spot those who didn't have such an interest, yet found themselves involved because things like annoying, pushy friends existed.

Or, in Vert's case, because of pure, unadulterated, arguably misguided sisterly desperation.

 _'Goodness, must I belittle myself so much? Oh...'_

In the beautiful, tranquil woodland that was Halo Forest, dozens of cheerful Leanboxians were enjoying the brisk, cool early morning. Most were families, others were overzealous bug enthusiasts, and four were a group of important figures in Leanbox.

Well, three out of four; one was still unknown to the public.

Regardless, by Vert's word they had split into their own groups, with the CPU obviously staying with her precious little sister while the Oracle and the Soldier had taken off some time ago. In truth, the splitting was done more out of her personal preference than anything, and it had absolutely nothing to do with eliminating possible interferences to her underwhelmingly weak sister aura.

Nope, not at all.

Even if that was true, judging by the loud noises of Chika's frustrated screaming, alongside Cave's relatively quieter and playful banter, it was undeniable that the 'Childhood Friends' duo was having a _fabulous_ time somewhere nearby.

Clearly. Absolutely no issues on their side.

As for the sisters themselves…

 _'S-So... tight... agh...'_

The Goddess of Leanbox had taken some special precautions while preparing for the bug hunt. When it became apparent to the CPU that, with the new addition to the Leanbox family, it would be more than a little troublesome for the woman to go in public with a little girl that was her spitting image, the Goddess went to measures she wasn't very proud of in order to avoid troublesome questions.

Instead of her usual regal dress, the Leanboxian CPU wore the classic beige trench coat and fedora hat combo, with a pair of green-tinted sunglasses to top it off. Her blonde hair had lost its braid, done up in a simple ponytail akin to her HDD Form instead.

All of these changes may have worked well enough on their own, but Lady Green Heart was a cautious woman. As such, she made the stupendous choice of _binding her breasts._

 _'Ghk...'_ As expected, the result of bounding her famously voluptuous juggs was quite painful, but she appeared to be nothing more than a petite blonde. As such, no nearby Leanboxian denizens gave her a second glance; after all, she looked appropriate for the approaching winter, even if a tad old-fashioned.

Granted, the pain her disguise caused wasn't exactly easy to ignore. Her large chest was obviously not meant to be mistreated in this sort of fashion; exploited and bounced, certainly, but never bound.

 _'A-At least it is working... Ngh...'_ The breast-bound Goddess shifted uncomfortably, tugging at her collar in a vain attempt to loosen _something_. _'I must bear the burden, f-for Verna's sake... I shall...'_

"Big Sis! Big Sis! Look, look!" an excited, childish voice rang from behind the CPU. Strenuously, the blonde Goddess turned herself around, silently praying that her binds wouldn't explode on her, and set her gaze downward to look at her little sister.

 _'And there she is now. Such an adorable child...~'_

When one looked at Vert's sister, however, they wouldn't see a little girl. In fact, she was practically unrecognizable.

When it came down to it, Vert's inferiority to the other CPUs when it came to raising a little sister was so bad it was almost comical. It was very cold, yes, but the Green CPU had gone a _tad_ extreme when it came to bundling her new sister up. Not that she had noticed these extremities, of course, which made it even more tragic.

From head to toe, she was cloth all over. A small, but heavy green winter jacket with a black beanie and white snow pants. Black mittens for her tiny hands, black snow boots for her feet, and a light green scarf that covered her mouth. Only her ocean blue eyes were visible, which shined with cuteness and innocence.

Oddly, the little girl didn't seem very affected by the overabundance of unnecessary clothing. In actuality, she seemed more energetic than ever.

"What is it, dear?" the older sister asked softly as she made her way towards the happy child, maintaining a serene smile even as she writhed on the inside from the chest pain. "Did you catch something?"

"Look, a buggy!" the tiny girl exclaimed, bouncing in happiness. "Here, here!"

"..."

"Well?" the young girl asked innocently.

"O-Oh..." Her voice wavering just a tiny bit, Vert's smile faltered ever so slightly the moment the little girl raised her hands. On the five-year-old's mitten covered palms was a large, black beetle, looking untroubled, comfortable even, as it rested on the fabric beneath its six feet.

 _'She didn't even use her net, g-goodness...'_ The CPU was suddenly much more grateful she had supplied her sister with mittens. She would have batted the thing off her Goddess-ly being without a second thought, but Verna didn't even bat an _eye_ at the bug resting on her hands. "Er, what a fascinating discovery for your first catch! B-But, why don't you put it in your jar, darling?"

"Okay!" the little one chirped, nodding enthusiastically, running off to find the big jar for her black insect friend.

The CPU smiled fondly, running after her sister and so that she wouldn't get lost, cautiously avoiding her own citizens in the meanwhile. _'She seems to be having a good time. That is good...'_ At least she was relieved that her admittedly half-assed plan was working so far. She could only hope this would lead to a bonding experience between the two of them, deepening their sisterly connection.

Emphasis on 'hope.'

 _'I can only pray for the best. Celestia, give me strength... a-and loosen these binds a little. Graces...'_

 _'Notfairnotfairnorfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfairnotfair_ _ **ARGH!**_ _'_

The Oracle of Leanbox's mood would be on an alien planet with how far it had gone. In fact, that was too generous. You would need a hyper-powered telescope with enough capacity to see the end of the Universe to locate her formerly good mood.

And that did not bode well for the Oracle herself. In fact, dealing with the Verna matter in her own way was proving to be horribly ineffective and would likely result in filicide.

So, like the highly intelligent and hard-working Oracle she was, she continued her overly-jealous zeal towards a child who was barely two days old.

Truly, she was a stand up woman.

"Do not get worked up again, Chika. We are in public," And in order to keep this totally respectable and absolutely diligent Oracle from making some brash or unfavorable decisions,she had to have an adviser to steer her in a favorable direction.

That adviser was Cave, SMD Soldier and Leanbox's Ultimate Warrior, and she had been self-tasked with keeping Chika Hakozaki from doing anything even remotely harmful to the Candidate.

Truly, it would be her most daunting task yet. Angered Ancient Dragons and deities of the sinful kind were utterly nothing compared to the raw, unchained power that was a cranky Chika Hakozaki.

Meanwhile, the Oracle herself turned swiftly to respond with the comeback of the century, glared at her crimson-haired companion while her mouth mashed into a hard line. On her body was a simple green sweater, which added to her figure of all things, a black skirt and knee high white boots. Her hair was lacking the usual ribbon, but the ponytail was still intact. She could have passed for a regular citizen, all things considered.

But really, she was more focused on being annoyed at her friend, not her casual attire.

"Do you love bugging me?" asked the Oracle irritably. The soldier cocked an eyebrow at her in response.

"Hm, I cannot possibly fathom why you would even think that," the redhead said dismissively, earning a spiteful glare from the greenette."I am simply responding to your outrageous jealousy in the most reasonable method I can settle with. For instance, I have yet to pin you to the ground. "

"..." the Oracle stared.

"I must admit, despite your flamboyant and outrageous attitude, you have to yet to cause any physical harm to Verna. Your progress is truly amicable." The twin-tailed beauty clapped in a bored, mocking manner. "An upstanding Oracle, for sure."

"..." Chika gave her friend a dull look, unsure if she was just messing with her or was genuinely being serious about this.

The redhead just clapped some more.

"..."

 **clap clap clap clap**

"Ugh, whatever." Her tone took a more passive turn, though it did nothing about the frown on her face, and murmured, "Just leave me alone already."

"Is it simply impossible to enjoy the day, Chika?" The Leanboxian redhead raised an eyebrow, ceasing her palm-to-palm action. "Is the little one really so important to you on a vacation day?"

"Yes."

"Predictable," said the warrior with a sigh. "So utterly predictable, it is almost sad."

"Shut up," she growled. "Also... uh, Cave?" The greenette, pushing her fury to the back of her mind for this one instance, took time to actually _look_ at her friend, noticing something... odd about her choice of fashion. "Can I ask you something?"

"You may," she nodded.

"Why is it that you're wearing _that_ dress out here?"

Her friend blinked, looking perplexed. "Pardon?"

"'P-Pardon?' Look at you!"

As Chika's words implied, Cave was not wearing her usual pseudo-maid-outfit. Instead, she wore what looked something straight out of a costume store: suspiciously purple in appearance, with a designated cleavage cutout and ribbons akin to bat wings replacing her usual headband.

All in all, it was as if she had taken dress tips from Noire. "Is it not suitable for a casual outing?" In contradiction, the woman seemed to sense nothing wrong with wearing such an outfit in the first place.

In a public space, at least.

 _'Is she serious-'_ "Well... _no_ , it's not!" the Oracle declared, gesturing to her friend's everything.

"It's something you'd wear during Halloween, or cosplay! We're hunting _bugs_ here!"

"I see..." she murmured in understanding, placing a dexterous finger to her chin. "Perhaps this is a poorer outfit choice than I thought. I may end up concealing myself more than intended when in the shade."

"That's right, wearing a gothic lolita dress is- _**What.**_ "

"I do not wish to frighten any passer-by, much less the young Verna." The redhead mused to herself, pulling out a change of attire while she was doing so; her normal clothes, by the looks of it.

"I've... always known you were something else, Cave, but really, we're going to have a talk about this later," stated the Oracle, her tone perplexed.

"I was expecting as much. Now, then..." Donning a cautious look, the woman retreated into a hedge that was thankfully only a few feet away from the duo. Not even the generic, fake leaves registered her presence.

"..."

The greenette blinked.

 _"For our best wishes, I advise you look away, Chika,"_ advised the hedge, regardless of the impossibility of seeing through it. Nevertheless, the Oracle turned her body elsewhere.

Conveniently, to the exact spot where the sisterly duo was.

 _How nice._

Of course, they were a fair distance away from her, but she could still make out Verna's childish joy as she hunted bugs _('Ew...')_ and her Lady's _clear_ enjoyment over such innocence.

 _It made her sick._ Just hearing them talk on and on about their stupid bug-huntin was driving her up a wall!

"Big Sis, lookit! It's green like me!"

"C-Careful dear, that's a mantis...!"

"Heehee, it's crawling all over me!"

"Oh dear..."

 _'Dammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammitdammit_ _ **DAMMIT!**_ _'_

Listening in on the conversation between the sisterly duo had done the Oracle much more bad than good. Admittedly, it was a rather poor idea in general to spy on the one responsible for her ever worsening mood.

But she kept doing it anyway.

 _'... am I a masochist?'_

"..."

 _'... no.'_

She seriously considered it for a second, too.

 _'I'm no Tekken...'_ She shuddered at the thought. _'Never.'_

Regardless, she continued her spying. No force could stop her, _except maybe possibly her bestest friend Cave_ , from her nefarious planning. There was only one thing that was important to her, and that was somehow getting the _accursed brat_ out of the picture as soon as possible. _Preferably_ without creating a mess.

 _'... Okay, even_ _ **I**_ _admit that's a little messed up, BUT WHATEVER! My chances of winning my darling Vert's attention are second to none! It's all because of that STUPID BRAT! AGH!'_ Her face twisted in anger, the Oracle broke off pieces of tree bark with her hand, disintegrating into nothing within her palm. _'I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO BOOT THAT KID ALL THE WAY TO-'_

 _"Chika."_

A stern, reprimanding voice rang from her backside. Just like that, the Oracle's hate-filled thoughts were stopped cold.

 _'Uhhhh...'_

"You will get splinters if you keep digging your nails into the trunk." The stern tone turned somewhat mocking, teasing even. "Your thoughts are quite obvious, by the way."

 _'... Dammit.'_

Growling, the Oracle retracted from the tree, and stared her friend dead in her emerald eyes. Sure enough, the redhead was back in her normal outfit. Briefly, her anger turned into befuddlement. "That was quick."

"You would be surprised how easy it is to slip out of this." said the redhead, gesturing to her discarded gothic dress before stashing it in her inventory. "The fabric is quite elastic, but that is not important, as it seems I came back at the right moment."

"Hmph!" Huffing, Chika went back to being annoyed, showing it by crossing her arms and turning her head away in a childish show of defiance.

"Your immaturity is shining through..." Cave shook her head. "Nevertheless, I recommend that you divert your attention away from them, Chika. I can almost see your veins popping on your head."

" _You're_ not helping..." Chika growled at her. Immediately after making that comment, she felt her ear being pulled- "OW!" -and the rest of her body with it by a weary Cave.

"Just come with me and enjoy the lovely view of the neighboring tarantulas." Chika instantly started squirming in an attempt to break free, but Cave's grip was far too strong. "Come now, what is the worst that can happen?"

"I-I hate spiders! You know that! Tarantulas are Level 2 spiders!"

"Think of this as a valuable lesson for overcoming your fears. Ah, here we are." They stopped at a tree trunk, where it was infested with the creepy crawlers. "No one else had bothered to stop by here. A pity, really."

"S-Spiders aren't even bugs! GAH!" Chika felt her whole body be thrust forward, which just so happened to be near the tarantula tree. Chika panicked and tried to run away, but Cave was already behind her and held her in place, on her knees.

"Now, let's observe these lovely arachnids in front row detail, shall we?"

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

* * *

Let it never be said that Vert was an idiot... because she was already aware of this. Never it be uttered that she was the worst big sister in all of Gamindustri, a fact Lady Green Heart was painfully, _painfully_ aware of as well.

 _'I only looked away for a second...! H-How could this have happened!?'_

You see, a funny thing happens when an irresponsible big sister and a 5-year old girl are put together. And if the day before wasn't enough to solidify Vert's status as the worst big sister in Gamindustri, this new incident certainly will.

 _'NonononononononononononononononononononononoNO!'_

She, the CPU Of Leanbox, was panicking. Whatever sort of joyful mood she had been in before had been replaced with a fresh, disastrous wave of anxiety. Any attempt at having a good time was ultimately thrown out the window when the revelation had dawned upon her.

 _'I am such a naive fool! I should have kept my eyes on her at all times!'_

One minute, her dear sister had been poking caterpillars climbing up a tree, her jar held up high in adorable hopes of catching the wormy insects.

The _next second,_ however...

Put simply, _she vanished._ It was as if she was never in her designated spot in the first place.

 _'Where had she gone!? It could not have been that far! W-Was she carried away by the caterpillars!? Aaaaah!"_

Clearly, it was a nightmare for the newly anointed big sister.

 _'W-Why is this so hard!? It's not even that dense of a forest! Or that large!'_ To the CPU, who knew Leanbox like the back of her elbow, Verna's disappearance flew in the face of logic itself. She looked far and wide, through the small scattered crowd she traveled, but her sister may as well have been abducted by aliens. _'I don't see her anywhere! H-How could this have happened!? She had to have wandered off by half a mile!'_

 _It. Made. No. Sense._

"... **Sigh**." The Lady of Green stopped dead in her tracks, her head hanging low. As a sister, she was thoroughly disappointed in herself for her own ineptitude. She just wanted to dig herself into a hole in the ground and just stay there. _Forever_.

 _'It seems no matter what I do, the world wants nothing more than to watch me fail. I may as well be begging the others to deprecate me...'_

Was it too late to banish herself from Gamindustri?

"..."

Probably not, right?

 _'G-Goodness, what am I thinking!? This is simply pitiful!'_ Slapping her cheeks with both her hands, the CPU of Green dispelled her negative thoughts and regained her elegant composure.

 _'This may be a monster-free zone, but who knows what sort of danger my darling Verna would get into? I will get Cave on the matter, she_ _ **is**_ _the best tracker out of all of us combined. Yes.'_

Her _perfectly formulated and well thought_ out plan set in motion, the Goddess hurried off to find the warrior, and possibly Chika with her.

 _'I pray that you are safe, darling. Agh, it's d-difficult to run...'_

Such was the life of a woman who had her beautiful breasts painfully restricted.

* * *

 **Bang Bang!**

"Nope."

 **Bang Bang!**

"Nada."

 **Bang Bang!**

"Bupkiss."

 **Bang Bang!**

"Synonym for nuthin'..."

In the depths of Halo Forest, all by her lonesome-

 _"You get really frickin' crazy when you're bored, ya know?"_

Okay, not alone, but having a snarky voice insult you from your pocket isn't a very good alternative. The girl would rather _be_ alone. Well, not really _alone_ , but better company perhaps?

"Shut up, I'm trying to lure out the pudding butterflies!" said girl replied to her book - yes, a book - in an irritated tone, her lilac hair obscuring her vision as she reloaded her gun, preparing for another shot at some poor, random tree. "It's the start of their hibernation, so I better snag 'em while I can!"

 _"... You_ _ **do**_ _realize they're not actually made of-"_

"Hush hush!" The purple-haired girl pointed her gun at the abused tree. "Gosh darn it, I can almost **taste** those tasty critters! Nothing can stop me from-"

 **Tug** "Scuse me, miss?"

"E-Eh?"

 **BANG!**

"GACK!"

"EEP!"

 _"Saw this comin' from a mile away."_

The purple-haired girl, having had her black parka tugged by a mysterious force, ended up misfiring by _several_ meters and succeeded in blowing a hole in another tree to her right, bark and leaves flying everywhere as she hit the ground. As a result of that action, chocolate colored butterfly... things flew out of the trunk of the previously abused tree.

"Aw CRACKERS!" the purple-haired girl whined rather loudly. "IKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT! HOWDIDIKNOWIT!?"

 _"Shut up! Goddess, your voice sounds like a cat went through a shredder while it was clawin' a chalkboard!"_ The girl's book angrily complained.

"Aw shucks, now that's just mean, Crostie!" she shot back. "That was my chaaaaaaaance!"

 _"It ain't mean if it's true, ya brat!"_ came the book's snarky response. _'Seriously, I thought that other one was annoying as hell!'_

"Why you-!"

"Miss?"

"... Huh?"

The lilac-haired girl, having settled down for the time being, finally took some time to properly absorb the situation around her. Let's see... she had lost the pudding bugs, she was on her bum due to her gun going haywire, her resident Crostie was complaining like always, there was an adorable little marshmallow sitting on her lap, she could really go for some pudding...

Wait.

 _Wait._

 _Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait._

The black-sweater wearing girl rewound her brain.

 _'Lemme see: Pudding bugs, bad gun, on mah bum, Crostie going Pissty mode, adorable marshmallow- AHA!'_

Looking down at the weight on her lap, the purple-haired girl confirmed her thoughts. There was indeed a _very very very very VERY_ adorable little marshmallow of a girl sitting on the area between her waist and thighs, donning a look most confuzzled.

"..."

"..."

The two stared at each other, shining lilac to wondering azure.

"..."

"..."

 _"Is anyone gonna say anything!?"_ The book annoyingly broke the silence. _"Come on, I'd rather smash my metaphorical head against a rock!"_

"... Hey there."

"Hi."

The two finally greeted each other, if awkwardly given the circumstances.

"Uh, you lost, kiddo?" Neptune felt the need to ask. The little girl tilted her head, confused.

"I dunno," she answered with honesty. "I was with Big Sis, now Big Sis is gone. I got buggies though." She lifted up her jar full of insects, wriggling and worming around as they pleased. "Buggies move funny. Heehee."

"It seems you're lost, then!" She announced that, though no one was around to hear it. "You were with your Big Sis, you say?"

"Yeah, Big Sis!" She said again.

"What's your sister's name, kiddo?" Neptune hopped to her feet, with the little girl lifted in her arms. "I'm sure we can find her in no time flat!"

"She's Big Sis!"

"... Uh, yeah, I know that bit, but what's her name?"

"She's Big Sis!"

"Uh oh..."

 _"Does this kid seriously not know her name? HA! That's priceless!"_ Croire laughed it up, while Neptune's face was on the floor from how hard it fell.

"Well, uh... can you describe her to me, then?"

"Um..." She seemed to be thinking about- "Boobies."

"E-Eh?"

"Big Sis has big boobies."

"..."

"..."

That was all she was getting, wasn't it?

"This is gonna take a little longer than no time..."

 _"Pffft."_ Croire stifled her laughter.

 **BONK!**

 _"G-Gah!" '_ Nep Note' found herself punched by the purplettes agitated fist. _"You f#$ing_ _bitch! It's bad enough I'm sealed in your stupid bug book, so don't start beating the fine cover!"_ Of course, she wasn't too happy with that, and it was expressed _very_ vocally. Pretty much the only way a book could express her anger, in all honesty.

The colorful language was a bonus.

"Crostie!" exclaimed a shocked Neptune. "Watch those gums of yours! We have a child in our grasp now, look!" Suddenly remembering she even had a child in her grasp, the black-hooded Nep pointed to the over-bundled bundle of cuteness in her arms.

"Mm..." said bundle was looking a little sick. Her eyes were shut tightly, her small body curled up into a ball like form. Her face looked a little pale, but it was hard to tell; her head was buried in Neptune's chest.

"Eh?" Surprised, the purplette tried to pry the young one off of her body to get a better look at her. "You alright, kid- H-Hey!"

"Mm!" The kid, however, had the bug enthusiast in a tight hug. She wasn't letting go anytime soon, it seemed. "D-Dizzy... mm..."

"... Daw." Realizing the issue, Neptune ruffled her hair. The action elicited a small giggle from the little one, making the purplette smile in return. "Didn't mean to cause ya any distress, kiddo. I'm sorry."

"It's okay... heehee..." The small child resumed her giggling, looking a little less sick now.

"Ya see Crostie?" The purplette suddenly proclaimed, going back to her earlier point. "This youngster is so sweet and innocent! Would you _dare_ to poison the ears of our hopeful youths!? The future generation will be doomed because of foul-mouthed books like you! For shame!" Neptune pointed a scolding finger at her Nep Note.

"Shame!" The kid repeated, copying Neptune's pointing technique.

 _"... Alright. First of all, I'm_ _ **way**_ _older than anyone in this puke inducing rainbow fest you call 'Game market' or whatever. Second,_ _I couldn't give two shits who I curse in front of. Third,_ _ **I'm still in your damn dusty pocket, you DUMBASS!**_ _"_

"... Ooooh." Neptune, upon realizing that her all-powerful sealed midget was still in her pocket - so she was pretty much displaying the kid _and_ pointing to no one - unzipped her circular pocket and pulled her Nep Note out. All the while, she had switched to holding the over-bundled child in her left hand, while opening her bug book and flipping to Croire's page, evidenced by the pair of printed fairy wings. "Now take a looksie, you grumpy book you!"

 _"... It's a kid, yes,"_ Croire responded in a monotonous tone. _"Your point?"_

Neptune's face fell. "You don't wanna teach the kid how to swear, do ya? That'd be bad for me and any snap-judgement parents looking my way!"

"Book lady talks funny..." Verna shifted in the purplettes grasp, her shyness potent enough to make Rom look like Ram. And not in the physical sense. "Mm..."

"Now you're making her nervous!" Neptune held her small package a little closer, her hug reassuring. "Don't worry about Crostie, she's just a grumpy meanie."

"Meanie..." The tiny one repeated, hiding her face in Neptune's chest. "Meanie book lady..."

 _"Whatever,"_ said Croire dismissively. _"I ain't putting up with your shit now that there's another clueless idiot here. Good night."_

"B-But it's not even afternoo- Oh, she's out cold."

 _"Zzz..."_ Croire's snoozing only pushed the point further.

"..." Eyes wide, Neptune was hit with a sudden realization. With her means of instant transportation now resting her frustrations away, the purplette was suddenly tasked with a challenge most difficult...

 _Using her hind legs as a method of travel!_

 _ **The horror!**_

"Dammit..." Neptune muttered. "I'm so used to teleporting everywhere! I neeeeeeed you, Crostie! WAKE UP, CROSTIE! C'MOOOOON, I NEED YOU TO GET ME TO- Uhhh, hey kid, where'd you come from?" Neptune halted her melodramatic banter to ask her tiny companion this.

"Uh... Big Sis...?" she answered, albeit a little unsure.

"Cool. I NEED YOU TO TAKE ME TO THE KID'S BIG SIS!" She resumed her shouting.

 _"Zzz..."_ And she received the expected response.

"S-She's really not waking up...!" The purplette understandably panicked over this, wailing with both hands firmly planted on her cheeks. "Ooooooooh, this is totally not good! Who knows where we are in this Goddess forsaken forest!? I just wanted to catch some pudding butterflies, gosh darn it!"

 **Tug**

"H-Huh- Oh." Caught off guard for a quick second, Maker Nep quickly regained her senses once she realized that the was tugging at her sleeve.

"D-Don't be mad, Miss..." said the little girl meekly, leaning in for a hug. "S'gonna be okay..."

"U-Uh, don't get all concerned, kiddo! It's all fine!" the purplette reassured, letting her hands fall from her cheeks in favor of mussing her hair once more. She _might have_ been a tiny bit nervous over the possibility of a crying session, but the lilacette wasn't about to bring that up, she had a kid to assure! "I-It's cool, really!"

"... Really?" The kid looked up at the older Nep, as if she didn't entirely believe that statement.

"Really real, kiddo!" The older Nep patted her head. "You just gotta point me in the right direction!" Hopping to her feet, Neptune did leg crunches while still holding Verna in her arms.

"These creaky bones could use a good stretch! It's no biggie!"

"Okay..." She said that, though her eyes were still unsure.

"Don't look so doubtful, kiddo, or whatever you look like under all that cloth!" Neptune proclaimed, wearing a wide smile of reassurance. "I'm sure we'll find your sister in no-"

 **Thud**

"-time... What."

"You have approximately 8 seconds to state your reasoning for child abduction. Any attempt at resistance or harm to this child will result in my blade coming in contact with your cranium, _so I suggest you comply_."

Neptune's face found itself in contact with the grassy ground, her head being held down by a powerful foot-like object. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a head of red hair, and a _mean_ emerald glare that seared into the back of her head, which completely went against the calm, soothing voice being directed at her being. The lost child was no longer in her hold. Instead, the bug hunter could make out some blonde locks resting on her mysterious assailants shoulder. Why her new companion was so close to the person who had brutally assaulted her, Neptune had no clue, but she couldn't focus on that right now; She had a foot being pressed against her skull, after all.

"Three seconds... two seconds... one- Oh?" During Neptune's inner monologue, her mystery assassin-to-be had been counting down. Before she reached one, and only then had the purplette noticed that her scissor blade was g _ently cutting her skin_ , the assaulter stopped for some reason, retracting both her weapon and her foot.

"Ouchies..." Neptune groaned from the floor, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up. "Owowow, I think I feel a foot print!" the purplette writhed, gripping her head tightly.

"My apologies, La- Neptune." Her attacker expressed regret, stumbling over her words a bit. "I assumed the worst when I witnessed the little one is the arms of a would-be stranger. Forgive me."

 _'Just what the hecksies is goin' on?'_ Neptune questioned mentally, squirming in a vain effort to ease the pain on her head. _'First I find a lost kid, then Crostie naps out on me, and now I was brutally assaulted. Help!'_

"Heehee..." The little one in question giggled from behind Neptune. "Big Sis Cave is funny..."

 _'... Huh?'_

Confused, Neptune turned her body around to face her attacker. As Verna claimed moments ago, Cave was indeed standing in front of her, the kid she found cradled protectively in her arms. The child herself had a most innocent smile on her face as she waved to the downed Nep.

 _'Whaaaaaaat.'_

"Holy motherflippin' cannoli, what the flub did I miss out on!?" Shock and confusion teamed up and overtook Neptune's state of being. Eyes bulging, the Bug Hunter pointed at Cave and Verna with two shaky hands. "I means, I _never_ woulda put it together, but man oh man is this a shocker!"

"... Pardon?" Cave simply raised an eyebrow, giving off a hint of confusion.

"I knew Verny wanted to find her Big Sis, but I never woulda guessed _you'd_ be the elder of that adorable little marshmallow! Congrats!" Neptune bounced to her feet and shook Cave's hand vigorously, a bright smile plastered on her face.

"... What?" The redhead's face was now morphed into one of confusion and befuddlement. "I-I don't-"

"Big Sis Cave is really cool!" Verna suddenly exclaimed, snuggling into the redheads hold. "Really really cool!"

"... Ah." the redhead nodded, appearing to have figured something out. "You are misconstrued, Neptune. Verna is not my younger sibling, contradictory to her claims of the opposite."

"Aw." Neptune looked disappointed by that revelation. "That sucks hard, guess I can't be _too_ shocked, though. Ya'll two do look nuthin' alike. Drat."

"I'm... sorry?" Cave tilted her head. "Your reaction is grossly crestfallen, Neptune."

"Daw, it's nuthin'" Neptune waved her hand dismissively. "I just got shell-shocked! In f-"

"VERNA!"

"... Drat."

Having her spotlight stolen once more, the CPU of Leanbox herself entered the scene, gracefully interrupting the elder purplette as a result. Sprinting towards the trio in a worried haze, the breast-bound Goddess had to drive her feet into the ground, unless she wanted to crash into Cave at top speed.

"VERNA!" she shouted again, yanking the tiny girl out of the redhead's grasp into a bosom-filled hug. "T-Thank Goddess you're safe! C-Cave, thank you so very much!"

"Owie..." Verna's muffled groans made it a bit obvious her loving sister was crushing her, but the bigger of the two failed to notice that little noise.

"It was no issue, Lady Vert. Although..." Cave glanced at Verna. "I suggest loosening your grip. The little one is looking rather purple."

"O-Oh!" The CPU eased up instantly.

"B-Big Sis is... strong..." Verna looked loopy.

"I'm so sorry, Verna..." The Goddess petted her sister's hair. "Excitement overwhelmed me..."

"Ugh, my feet hurt..." Following the CPU was Leanbox's resident Oracle, Chika Hakozaki. Looking tired and downright annoyed, the feeling of anger was inevitably added onto her emotional bandwagon as _soon_ as she caught a glimpse of Vert snuggling Verna to death.

How was this obvious? Just one look at the Oracle's contorted face was enough to set off some red flags.

"Unless you would like a second coming of the tarantula tree, I suggest you lighten your mood." Cave's words ensured that Chika look significantly less downtrodden. "Now, that was not so hard, was it?"

"Shut up."

 _"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."_ Neptune - yes she was still a thing - just witnessed the scene in front of her with a bamboozled look, her eyes wider than the bowls she ate her pudding from. The developed purplette cleared her throat, attempting to make herself known again.

"What is it, Neptune?" She succeeded. All eyes were on the purplette due to Vert's question.

"Uh, not to be a real thorn in your bush, but my lack of presence is reaching record highs!" she exclaimed in panic. "I don't wanna end up like some dotted outline with birdie-looking buns! Don't push me to the side, ya'll!"

Vert blinked.

Cave blinked.

Chika blinked.

Verna blinked.

Neptune blinked.

 _"Zzz..."_ Croire snored.

 _'Way to play along Crostie...'_ thought Neptune sourly. _'Wait, you don't got eyeballs. Drat...'_

"... Ah." Vert, ceasing her bewildering enjoyment and saving face, wore a face of sympathy as she realized the error Neptune had so blatantly pointed out. "I apologize, Neptune. I was so fixated in finding Verna, I completely neglected her savior."

"Aw, don't make me blush." Neptune shifted timidly. "Really though, keep a better eye on your sister there, Verty! Good thing the youngster was only digging for ants!"

The mature woman nodded. "Of course. I will do my best to keep a much better eye on- _**What**_."

"Wha?" The purplette tilted her head, confused eyes staring. "Why're you looking like you just saw Eggplantopia? Ugh..." Neptune violently shuddered when she imagined that. "Guh, that's gonna be a toughie to get rid of..."

"What..." The paled CPU ignored her rambling. Setting her arms down so that Verna may be released, the CPU focused all of her attention on the girl in front of her. All the while, the young Candidate ran up to hug her 'Big Sis Cave' which was taken in stride via a hair ruffle.

"What... did you say?" Vert uttered, looking shell-shocked. "Please, repeat what was just emitted from your mouth. Perhaps I heard wrong..."

"Eggplantop-YUCK!" Neptune scrunched her nose, sticking her tongue out. "I can't even say it! Why you wanna know about _**HELL!?**_ HUH!?" Voice high and screechy, the purplette turned accusatory and pointed a dramatic finger at the CPU of Green. "YOU BOOBLESS MONSTER! I DON'T EVEN _KNOW_ YOU ANYMORE!"

"Erm..." The CPU was momentarily stunned by Neptune's out-of-nowhere fury. "That's not what I-"

 _"Wait!"_ Neptune interrupted her, eyes blazing as her previous - arguably unwarranted - anger turned into puzzlement. "My corneas just noticed something startling!"

"W-Wh- Oh dear." The Leanboxian CPU found herself being confronted by an inquisitive Neptune, scanning the Leanboxian CPU as if she were looking at something perplexing. Eyebrows raised, Vert stared in bewilderment as Neptune looked her up and down, obviously trying to piece something together. Obviously, the busty woman had no idea what that _something_ was.

"... Hm." Neptune came to eye-level with her blonde friend, looking serious. All that did was increase the CPUs confusion. "Hey, Vert?" The purplette suddenly asked, eyeing her with a manner of seriousness Lady Green Heart had never seen on either Neptune's before.

"... Yes?"

"Where'd your boobs go?"

"..."

"Uh, Vert?"

"Ghk..." Vert looked broken. making sounds akin to choking. "So... tight... ugh..."

"Uh, what." The Bug Hunter was lost.

"In all fairness, Neptune, your question was... unique, to say the least." stated Cave, who still had a Verna attached to her leg. "However true it may be, it came in a blunt nature."

"Crackers..." Neptune sulked. "B-But wouldn't _you_ ask the same question, Cavey? Seeing Vert without boobs is like seeing Blanny without her books! O-Or Noiry without the sexy cosplay outfits she _still_ thinks is a secret!" Neptune pointed out. "It just ain't natural!"

"No, I would not," Cave responded coolly. "I have something called 'respect' and 'restraint', two very important skills you need to learn."

"Hey!" The purplette stuck her tongue out at the redhead, who remained stoic. "I gots the respect!"

"..." Cave stared.

"Really!"

"..." More staring.

"Bah." Neptune gave up pretty easily, shooting a pout in the redheads direction. "You're no fun, Cavey."

"Such childish fools I associate with." The warrior sighed, running her fingers through Verna's hair, eliciting giggles. "It is quite sad..."

"Why are you looking at me!?" exclaimed Leanbox's Oracle, turning defensive as Cave shot her a rather deadpan look.

"No reason." Her friend remained stone-faced, staring at the Oracle with utmost seriousness.

"..." The Oracle didn't look convinced.

"Whatever it is you are thinking, you are undoubtedly _over_ thinking it." stated the redhead.

"... Ugh." The greenette pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. "Whatever..."

"Big Sis Chika?"

"Wha-"

 **Verna Hug.**

"..."

"Heehee..."

The jealous woman stared at the sight before her eyes. Verna had let go of her redheaded friend in favor of wrapping herself around Chika's legs. Looking up at the Oracle with a bright smile, Verna giggled.

 _It was hideously adorable._

"Are we just gonna forget about ol' me!?" The supposed main focus proclaimed, waving her arms frantically. "This chapter is kind of in _my_ point-o-view, you know! You can't just switch like that!"

"Calm down, Neptune." the Green CPU assured, having regained her composure during that time Regardless, she was a bit dirted. "While I do agree it is unwise to simply swap characters without a clear reason, complaining about the situation will help none."

"But this is supposed to be a me an' Verny chapter! Mr. Author Guy said so!" the purplette exclaimed, looking rather annoyed.

"We can focus on that later, Neptune," Vert lightly chastised. "For the moment, it seems you have discovered something... incriminating."

"Whazzat?" The Maker Nep tilted her head. "The whole' Holy crow, you have a lil' si- GACK!"

 _"Yes."_ The elder sister roughly covered the purplettes mouth with her hand, a strained smile on her face. "For our benefit and Verna's safety, I highly suggest you keep this new-found knowledge of yours a secret."

 _"Why that?"_ The mature - in the physical sense at least - Nep spoke through her hand.

The CPU sighed. "Verna is simply not ready to face the public yet." She removed her hand from the purplette's face. "I disguised myself for a reason, you should know."

Maker Nep looked to the side, eyeing Verna. She was latched onto Chika's legs, as if she were glued onto them, while the Oracle stared down at her with a flushed face. Cave watched from the sidelines, wearing an amused smirk.

 _"Big Sis Chika looks red! Heehee..."_

 _"C-Cut it out! Geez..."_

She went back to staring at Vert, perplexed yet again. "Uh, Verny gots a lotta big sisters..."

"It is adorable, no?" Following the purplette's gaze, the older sister sighed in tranquility. "She'll label anyone as her 'big sister', yes, but I am her only _true_ Big Sister." She met eyes with Neptune. "And that is _exactly_ why I must urge you to keep this revelation a secret, Neptune. For Verna's sake, I heavily advise you speak of this to no one."

With a grin and a nod, Neptune gave her trademark 'Victory' sign. "You got it, Verty! My lips are sealed ultra tight! _Zzzzip!"_ Following that notion, the purplette made a zipping motion across her mouth, looking affirmative. "You can count on m- Oop!" She covered her mouth, offering a thumbs up with her free hand.

"... Somehow, I doubt this will last long." Vert sighed in content. "However, I will place my trust in you for now, Neptune. Please, don't ruin this."

"You can count on me, Verty!" Neptune struck her pose again.

"I should hope so..."

"G-Get off of me!" exclaimed a flushed Chika, catching the attention of both women as they witnessed the Oracle trying her darn best to scurry away from the clingy child.

Keyword being _trying._ She was failing quite miserably.

"Nooooo..." Verna may as well been made of glue. She was stuck onto Chika's legs tightly and lovingly. "I like you, Big Sis Chika!"

"R-Rgh!" Her face was a red as her eyes.

"Hm." Cave observed the scene with a smirk on her face. "The little one is quite affectionate towards you. How ironic..."

"S-Shut up!" the Oracle barked, though she had already gave up trying to get Verna off her.

"C-Come on!"

"Heehee..." The Candidate hugged tighter than ever, a stupidly adorable grin on her face.

"Y-You little..."

"How quaint." commented Cave from the side, eating popcorn she somehow obtained. "I fail to see why the little one is so attached to you... Heh," she chuckled. "But I will appreciate the humor of it all."

"You're not helping!"

"I don't believe I was meant to."

"U-Ugh!"

"Soooooo..." The older Nep turned the focus back to herself and her green companion. "Whaddya gonna do now, Verty? Never took you for a bug girl..."

"I am not, but Verna expressed interest in the insects. Unfortunately..." Vert glanced at the sky. It was quickly approaching twilight, the first few stars beginning to shine as the horizon was painted with a lovely vanilla color. With that, it was becoming much colder, along with families beginning to thin out and go back home. "It is getting late, I'm afraid. We will have to return home soon."

"Awwww..." Neptune slumped, looking rather sad. "But I wanted to do stuff with Verny! We were gonna hunt cool bugs and all that jazz!" She unzipped her pocket and brought out her Nep Note again. "Nep Note hasn't been getting action lately! It's sad!"

 _"Zzz..."_

"Darn it, Crostie!"

"You are free to come back with us, Neptune," the Green CPU offered. "You can spend time with Verna back home, before she is to rest."

"For reals!?" The lilacette beamed. "I mean, it's no creepy crawly fun time, but I'll take it!"

Vert nodded, smiling. "Now then... Verna!" Turning her attention to the little Candidate, the elder sister approached the trio with grace.

"Nyeh." The younger sister hid behind the Oracle's legs, still hugging them tightly. and stuck her tongue out.

"Verna dear, we're leaving," said Vert with a chuckle. "Come now."

"But... I don't wanna." Verna frowned cutely, her tone sad. "I wanna stay."

"Ghk..." Chika's opinion on the matter.

 **munch...** Cave's contribution.

"It's getting cold, dear," reminded her sister. "Do you really want to stay out in such weather?"

Verna released her grip on the Oracle's thighs, hugging herself tightly. "I'm all warm!"

"Oh dear..." The CPUs face pretty much gave away that she regretted over-bundling her sister.

"Uh..."

"Come on, Verny!" Sudden Neptune popped up. "I know it's a bummer we can't stuff some bugs in a book, but I'm seriously shivering in my hoodie!"

"..."

"..."

Both CPU and Oracle stared. The non-Leanboxian had chosen to place herself in the middle of Vert's thighs, meeting eye level with the Candidate currently behind Chika's own legs. Neptune, being obviously taller than the Candidate, looked as if she were giving Green Heart a piggyback ride. Of course, Neptune being, well _Neptune_ , failed to notice this little fact.

"Let's go where it's nice and warm, kiddo!" Neptune went on, oblivious to the looks she was receiving. "We'll be wrapped so tight in blankets, it'd look like we were mummified!"

"Mumuwha?" Verna tilted her head, confused.

"Uh, never mind. Hyup!" Extending her arms out, Neptune grabbed Verna while simultaneously hopping to her feet.

"Oof!" However, she nearly knocked the CPU square in the jaw with her head, sending her stumbling back and almost hitting the ground. She would have fell straight down...

"I caught you, dearest!" ... had Chika not zipped to her rescue instantaneously. A truly caring Oracle, she was.

"Er, thank you, Chika."

"Anytime, darling~"

"You can release me now, Chika."

"Right..." The Oracle let go.

"Shall we depart?" questioned Cave, finishing the last bits of her buttery snack. "I am rather against standing in freezing temperatures."

"Let's go!" Neptune was already inching her way out of the forest. Almost everyone had left by this point, even the hardcore bug enthusiasts; although that may have been on account of their reluctant friends dragging them home more than anything.

"Let us go. My fingers are starting to feel numb..." Regardless, the elder sister gave the go ahead. Before she even finished, Neptune took off in a sprint with Verna locked tightly in her grip.

"Letsa go! Yahoo!" In the distance, the purplette did a hop.

"Wheeeee!" Verna was having fun, at least.

"O-Oh dear, hold on!" Her worried sister, however, gave chase. "D-Don't drop her now! Be careful! Oooh..."

The last to follow them was the Oracle and Leanbox's finest Soldier. The former looked absolutely miserable, and the latter could take a guess why that was.

"You look simply awful," she stated bluntly. A groan came in response.

"Gee, how'd you guess that? Ugh, I need a break after today."

"It was rather... eventful, yes." Cave nodded. "At the very least, the little one has made a new friend in Neptune."

"Whoop-de-freaking-do," the Oracle faux cheered.

Cave rolled her eyes. "It appears we are out of the forest." True to her word, the duo found themselves in the midst of the Leanbox nightlife. There may not have been that many denizens walking about, with the sky having turned obsidian during their walk back, but the inner city was a true beauty to behold at night. It was as if the nation had been encased in green neon lights, a design choice Chika herself came up with some years ago.

It was rather fitting, to the redhead at least. She rather liked it.

"Ugh, finally..." The greenette looked relieved. "I'm shivering under all of this. I need a hot bath...~"

"Do what you must." said the redhead, the Basilicom only meters away from them. The group ahead had long escaped their vision. "I am in need of one myself. Perhaps we can bathe together like our childhood days, if you feel so inclined."

"That'd be lov- **WHAT**?!"

Cave was already long gone by the time the Oracle caught on to her friends double-sided words. The Oracle could _swear_ she heard a fit of laughter come from inside the building.

"W-Why you-!" A red-faced Chika stormed inside to give chase. _"GET BACK HERE, YOU!"_

Sadly, for both of them, the bath was already occupied by two of the same mind and level, while the resident CPU had to resort to using her _lance_ to free herself of the binds that constricted her so.

 _"A-Almost. A-Allllm-"_ _ **SHRRRRIP!**_ _"GAH!"_

Just another lively day in Leanbox, for sure.

* * *

 **Editors Note: After an almost 3 month absence, A Verdant Breeze has returned, re-edited and re-furbished for your viewing pleasure! With the help of some friends, chapter 6 to 11, which are now chapter 6 to 9, went through a massive editing overhaul because, admittedly, these chapters had turned out kind of... shit and, since a few of them were planned to be longer, they were melded with each other which results in the chapter count taking a dip, but hey, quality assurance.**

 **This note will be copied from this chapter to chapter 9, just to avoid confusion to the people that see A Verdant Breeze back on Page 1. Enjoy!**

 **-Yuri**


	7. Aftermath Of The Bug Hunt!

**Slosh!**

"O-Oh dear...!"

It shouldn't even be repeated by this point, with how much it had already been made blatantly obvious to both herself and those around her, but Vert found herself sprinting back anyway. In a way, it was kind of comical how much of a failure she was.

"Blech! Did all that come from Verny!?" A Nep most appalled had to step away from the emerging sweat puddle. "I'm practically drowning in it! I'm shocked she didn't pass out from all that heat!"

"N-Neptune please..."

The CPU was more than aware that her attempt to protect her sister from the approaching winter was… _well-intended_ at best. Unfortunately, the execution had a lot to be desired, and she was left with a seriously shocking situation.

"Heehee, I'm all wet!" Verna exclaimed happily, doing a twirl.

"C-Careful, kiddo!" Neptune dived in to catch her... and ended up face first in sweat. "BLEH!"

"Neptun's all wet!" Verna giggled.

"Er..." The befuddled CPU had been in the process of removing her sister's heavy jacket, who was in preparation for a bath, but it seems Verna's bodily fluids had beat her to the punch. The little girl was soaked to the _bone_ , but regardless of that she seemed completely unfazed by almost literally sweating to death. Her smile was still bright and wide, looking at the two befuddled elders.

"I'm all wet!" She repeated, raising her arms up as Vert removed her sweater.

"Y-Yes, you are..." _'I-I shall stick with just the sweater next time...'_ Both her mental and verbal voice were dumbfounded and pitiful, mostly pitiful, as she finally succeeded in stripping her younger sister of the heavy clothing, quickly tossing drenched, squelchy garment in a white hamper for heavy-duty laundering later.

She tried to ignore the fact that the hamper was _leaking_ , forming yet another puddle that would need to be mopped up later.

Regardless, removing the heavy winter wear didn't do much to aid her sister's current condition, if anything at all. Her normal green nightgown may as well have been run through a waterfall. Her hair and skin were no different, looking as if she just got out from the aforementioned bath.

Still, her smile was brighter than the sun itself, which was enough to lift Vert's dampened spirits just a little. It wasn't enough to completely dispel her sisterly inferiority complex, but it was better than nothing.

"Uh, you okay, kiddo?" With a strained smile, the bigger Neptune knelt and picked herself up from the sweat puddle to stand eye level with Verna, running her hand through the girl's soaked hair. "You look like you just took a dip in a pool... A really smelly pool. Ew..." Her face contorted in disgust, having slipped in the residual sweat and ruining her own clothes as a result.

"Fine!" The little girl responded simply, nodding in confirmation with her statement. Water dripped from her hair as if it were a raincloud, which only cemented the purplette's worry.

"Er..." Neptune wiped her wet hand on her sleeve, still very grossed out. Regardless, she kept a strained, _key word strained_ , smile on. "Let's get ya bathed up, anyway. Nobody wants to stay in wet clothes, especially not this Nep! Hyup!" Maker Neptune lifted the drenched Verna up, keeping her at a careful distance for the sake of protecting her own clothes. "C'mon, I'll wash you up myself!"

"Okay!" Verna agreed rather quickly and was promptly whisked away by the elder purplette.

"W-Wait, wha... Oh, they've already left." Vert didn't even have time to object. The duo had traversed down the hall where the bathroom was located.

 _"Don't you worry, Verny! I'mma clean you... uh, clean!"_

 _"Clean!"_

"..."

Although the CPU _badly_ wanted to bring up the point of how an adult woman bathing a small child she had just met that day was destined to raise eyebrows, she knew it would be fruitless to do so. Neptune would never intentionally hurt anyone, particularly the small Verna, unless they were actually a monster or the final boss or something of the sort.

 _'I can already sense a bond forming...'_ thought Vert. _'Neptune_ _ **does**_ _have the mind of a child. Both versions, of course.'_

Despite the potential adorableness of such a relationship, and Vert would _ensure_ she had a camera out at all times, it only served to feed her rapidly growing sense of inferiority. She was beating a dead Horsebird at this point, but either way that was the truth.

 _'They met only hours ago, but Verna already seems closer to Neptune than me...'_ Vert closed her eyes, worry overcoming her again. _'I planned this trip as a bonding experience between Verna and I, but of course, Neptune had to be the one to score the friendship points..'_ A frown decorated her features. _'Why must I be cursed with this misfortune? It's as if anyone other than me is more qualified to be her older sister...'_

"V-Verny, don't jump in the bath like-" **SPLASH!** "YAAAH!"

"Heehee, Neptun's all wet again!"

"You little—! Two can play at this game!"

"..." Vert listened to the exchange, her head hanging low with an ever-deepening frown. _'Of course they would get along splendidly.'_ The CPU sighed, turning her head in the direction of the bathroom. Water had splashed out the door and into the hall, more than likely a result of Verna's apparent dive into the tub. The older sister felt a little worried that the younger may have injured herself, but judging from Neptune's reaction, she was fine.

Now, if only _Vert_ herself could put her own worries to rest…

 _'It's just... unfair...'_

 **Crash!** Of course, she couldn't find the time to mope about it now. Cave, who was _grinning from ear to ear_ , had barged in through the elevator doors and made a direct left turn away from Vert. Immediately following the redhead was an even redder tomato, also known as Chika, who had taken the other elevator and was chasing after in an embarrassed rage.

But, as the onomatopoeia suggested, the Oracle failed in her effort to do... whatever she had planned if she had caught up to her friend. Instead, the greenette slipped on the ridiculous amount of sweat leftover by the whole "over-bundling" debacle, causing her to lose her balance and faceplant into the carpeted floor with a rather painful **THUD**.

"OW!" She shouted, her forehead having met with a terrible fate: the floor. "Owowowowowowow, what the hell?!"

"How odd," Cave coolly stated, coming out of her hiding spot in the corner, her composure regained. "I don't remember the floor having been so wet when we left..."

 _'Yes, it's strange, isn't it?'_ Vert fidgeted nervously.

"Ghk..." The Oracle gripped her head again, feeling a bump. "Ugh, I think I have a bruise..."

"Uh..." Vert watched from the sidelines, unsure of the context behind any of what was happening in front of her. Confused, she turned to Cave for a logical, no-frills answer. "Would you care to...?"

"It was a simple misunderstanding, Lady Vert." The redhead explained, covering the mouth of the Oracle with a hand. "She misconstrued my words rather extremely, with the result of the pursuit you just witnessed. I apologize for creating a stir."

"I... see." Cave's explanation cleared no things up, but Vert decided to let it go for the time being. "I-It is alright, Cave. But I think Chika needs treatment for her bruise..." At first, Vert had assumed the Oracle was simply feigning injury again, but after a moment she had seen the black and blue swell adorning her forehead. She was whimpering like a puppy on top of that.

"I will see to it that she gets a surgeon, then." Cave removed her hand from the greenette's mouth, quickly sliding it under her armpit and effortlessly helping the woman to her feet. "Let us go, Chika."

"Yeah, yeah, ow..." Chika accepted without any resistance, turned on her heel with a huff and proceeded down the hall after her redheaded friend.

Alone once again, Vert was given more time to consider her current status. Of course, her mind was quickly occupied by Verna and her own sisterly incompetencies.

 _'Today did not go as planned..._ ' Vert sighed inwardly. _'It seems I will have to develop a different strategy.'_ The CPU hardly even knew where to begin, much less what to do. The Bug Hunt was a last-second grasp at straws as it was, what could she hope to do this time around?

Honestly, she had no idea. And Vert hated that she was so _clueless_.

 _'Mm...'_ Grunting internally, Vert reached into her pocket and pulled out her green UPhone, her finger hovering over the contacts button, resisting the urge to call a certain number.

 _'To think, it has gotten to such a point... where I am considering asking Blanc for advice...'_

The Loweean CPU would never let her live it down, that was a fact. She had teased Blanc for so long that an opportunity like this would be the equivalent of mining diamond with a diamond axe. Vert would never be able to escape the endless teasing, the barrage of insults. This was karma at its finest.

 _'It was never meant to be this way._ _ **I**_ _was the one who was to boast about this moment, it should never have been like this...!'_

It had been said before, but she will say it again; Vert was thoroughly disappointed in herself.

 _'Tomorrow is another chance, I suppose the most I can muster from this situation is Verna's obliviousness to my failures. Bless her innocence...'_ Somehow managing a smile, Vert ultimately put her phone back in her pocket. _'I should not stoop so low so soon. I need to plan a better course of action next time.'_ Vert began formulating another _well-thought out_ plan in her head. _'Thankfully she has taken a liking to bugs, but Neptune could just as easily pull a stunt and steal her from my grasp.'_

Vert sighed. She could hear splashing and laughter coming from the bath.

 _'I know I cannot keep them apart, but is there no room for her_ _ **actual**_ _sister?'_ The Leanboxian CPU was troubled by that little fact. _'She is so enamored with Chika and Cave, I already sensed trouble as is. Now a third challenger has appeared...'_

For Leanbox's CPU, who had remained sisterless for far too long, it was a tragic tale. For so long, she had prayed for a sister. For years, she had consistently tried to lure the other Candidates to her side, and each time she would either get yelled at or be smacked with a hammer.

She _still_ had the bruises... The goddess clutched her chest out of instinct.

 _'She is only so young, though...'_ Vert had to remind herself, trying her best to squash the rapidly growing panic in her chest. _'Verna_ _ **would**_ _be influenced by anything or anyone, unlike the other Candidates.'_ Vert nodded slowly, her calming effect working its charm. _'Of course she would look up to those three...'_

 _"Hey kiddo, can I ask ya something?"_

 _"Wha?"_

 _"Mind calling me Big Sis Nep from now on?"_

 _"Big Sis... Nep?"_

 _"Ayup."_

 _"Big Sis Nep!"_

 _"Ayup!"_

 _"Yay!"_

 _"Yay!"_

"..."

Of course, her mind immediately jumped to the negativity of the situation, rather than actually trying to calm herself down. _'Would Verna forget about_ _ **me**_ _, if that is the case? Am I really that boring and forgettable...!?'_

Vert slapped herself on the cheek. She was getting herself worked up over the littlest things here.

 _'I need to focus, I need a plan...'_ The CPU stroked her chin. _'But what kind of plan is the real question...'_ It was obvious that Vert wasn't the most _calculating_ individual, if the earlier bug hunt still had any jurisdiction, but even Lady Green Heart knew it was the time to take action. She simply couldn't mope whenever Verna looked away from her. It would be absurd to call herself the older sister if she were to act so immaturely.

 _'Hm...'_ Vert thought sat down on her couch, delving deep into her mind to formulate the perfect plan to bond with her little sister. _'This will take quite some time. I hope no one will disturb me'_

And so, the development of her plan began.

 _'For one, I'll need to... No... Maybe... No, no...'_

It would be the most difficult challenge she had ever faced, no doubt.

* * *

"I-I hate her... OW!"

"Hush, I'm trying to mend your wound," muttered Cave. "It does not benefit either of us for you to keep moving so much."

"I can't help it! It hurts..." Chika whined in response, her pale face scrunching in pain as Cave pressed an ice pack into her skull. "Gah!"

"It matters not. Your shrill whines are damaging my eardrums. Now then, hold this." The redhead handed her patient the ice pack. Chika obeyed, lightly pressing it against her bruise. "And lie down if you wish to ease the pain."

"Ugh..." None too happy about her condition, the green-haired Oracle did as instructed. If anything, it only made her grumpier. "Why me?"

"I ask myself that same question every time we meet," Cave murmured, earning a cold stare from the Oracle.

"You're so mean, Cave!" Chika growled, gritting her teeth and flaring her nostrils. "Why don't you ever help me?!"

"Because I am not a psychiatrist, for one." She responded coolly, not even bothering to meet Chika's crimson gaze as she took a few steps away from her. She settled for sitting on a wooden chair, leaning against it as she pulled out her phone, of all things.

"Ghk!" Chika looked like that answer physically struck her, and Cave's utter lack of caring was not helping the matter. "W-Why you- Ow!" Failing to keep her ice pack in check for a brief moment, resulting in a stinging pain knocking against the base of her skull once more, the Oracle went back to pressing the pack against her head, her anger dying down, if only a little, as a result. "Bah, forget it."

"My point still stands." Cave responded nonchalantly, checking her Chirper messagesto further enunciate her lack of caring. She knew Chika was glaring at her. "Oh, it seems Lyrica is free on Saturday. How nice, I think I'll pay her a visit..." A tiny bit of affection could be heard in the redhead's tone, but only Chika could hope to have heard that sparse detail in her otherwise monotone voice.

 _"... Stalker..."_ muttered the greenette bitterly.

Pretending she didn't hear it and ignoring the feeling of Chika's piercing gaze burning the back of her head, Cave set her attention back to the greenette. "Now then, how is your head?" She asked, a tad bit of concern dripping into her tone.

"Uh, it's fine I guess..." Chika responded, her tone unsure. "It still stings a little, but I can feel it simmering down..."

"That's good. Hm..." Shoving her phone back into her inventory, Cave stood up from her seat and made her way back to Chika's bed. "Remove your hand, please."

Doing so, Cave pressed her gloved hand against Chika's wet forehead. "It seems the swelling has calmed down. I can still make out bumps, but for the most part, your wound seems to be recovering nicely." She removed her hand.

"Thank goddess..." grumbled Chika, letting the ice pack fall from her hand and onto her bed. "Now I'm beat. Ugh..." A yawn escaped from her mouth. "I can't even move my arms..."

"Today was rather eventful, yes." Cave nodded. "I suggest you sleep, if that is the case. It is nothing some sleep cannot fix."

Chika's previously drowsy red eyes hardened, but before she could say _a single word_ , Cave placed a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Guess you're right..." The greenette turned around and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Night, Cavey..."

"Goodnight." Cave lifted herself from the bed and made her way towards the door. "I will be taking my leave now." She received a snore in response. Amused she left the room and shut the door behind her, making her way down the unnecessarily long hallway for the fourth time in two days.

 _'On the bright side, all this walking is an excellent way to burn calories...'_

At the very least, despite the long walk, she could still find some kind of silver lining to the situation. Still, her tolerance was at an all-time low with the ridiculous hallway.

 _'On the downside, I have to walk down here again...'_ Cave grimaced. _'Perhaps multiple times. It will undoubtedly be a long time before Chika will grow used to the little one...'_ She sighed. _'I'm sure she would never actually harm her, of course. Chika's opinion of Lady Vert would never allow it.'_

With that logic, it was a wonder why the soldier was so protective of Leanbox's youngest. Perhaps it was because of her vulnerability? The little one couldn't fend for herself like most everyone she knew. Her own sister, for the most part, was proving to be a bit... incompetent when it came to keeping an eye on her, and while she knew that Chika would never hurt her, the woman was just as, if not more childish than Verna at points, tt was like her guarding instincts were set to overdrive.

 _'I shall put my best into guarding her life, at least until Lady Vert becomes responsible as an elder sister...'_ That's what she told herself on the way back. _'Now,to ensure nothing exploded during my absence...'_

* * *

"C'mon, kiddo! Let's get you all nice and dry!" Meanwhile, on the Nep side of things, one Nep in particular held up a towel as she awaited Verna to step out of the bubbly tub. Of course, she looked like she had jumped in with her, but there was a very valid reason for that. "I _reeeeeeally_ don't want'cha to splash me again, so let's get you in some warm clothes!"

"Don' wanna..." The little one, on the other hand, refused to leave the tub. Her face poked out of the water, almost her entire being covered in bubbles and suds. "I wanna stay..."

"C'mon, Verny..." Her smile faltering a little, Neptune walked towards the tub and lifted the bubbly Verna up by her armpits. "You already put Crostie in a bad mood when you splashed me..."

 _"Damn right she did! Now I'm soft_ _ **and**_ _wet! What the hell!?"_ Her Nep Note shouted from on top the toilet, drying off on a towel.

"Sorry, book lady!" Verna apologized, in the midst of being wrapped in a towel by Big Nep. "No fair, Big Sis Nep! I wanna stay!" In a show of resistance, Verna tried to break out of Neptune's grasp and jump back in the soapy water—the keyword being 'tried' here. Verna's five-year old strength was no match for Neptune's grasp.

"Stop it, you." Smiling, Neptune dried Verna's hair with a white towel, floofing it with her hands. The tiny Candidate giggled under her touch. "You can't stay in the bath forever! Your skin is gonna get all gross and wrinkly!"

"Wrinkly...?" Verna tilted her head, looking at her hand. "I don' look wrinkly..."

"Well, _duh_. You were only in there for a few minutes!" The purplette booped Verna's nose, eliciting a giggle from the girl. "But if you stay in there for tooooo long, Verny, you'll look like an elephant's foot!"

"Ew..." Sticking her tongue out, Verna buried her face in Neptune's chest. "Gross."

"Indeedy. Now then." Carefully reaching down, her grip on Verna tighter than ever to insure she didn't go back in the tub, Neptune unplugged the drain. The soapy water slid down the drain with a satisfying swishing noise as she made her way out the soaked bathroom, grabbing her Nep Note on the way out. "How ya feelin', Crostie?"

 _"Like shit."_ She answered bitterly. _"Tell that kid to cool it with the water. I'm soaked."_

"Sorry, book lady!" Verna apologized again.

 _"Whatever, kid..."_ 'Book lady' grumbled in annoyance.

"Don'cha worry, Crostie! My book is tougher than most, it can withstand water damage no problem!" Neptune proudly boasted. "I wouldn't seal ya in any old paperback, no ma'am!"

 _"Tch, I could care less where you keep me confined. I'm damned either way,"_ Croire fumed..

"You'd go out and "record more interesting history if I didn't, Crostie." Neptune shot back.

 _"Well... yeah."_ She couldn't deny that one.

"Eggplantsactly! Which is why I gotta keep you on a tight leash, Crostie!" She chirped in response. "I don't want you blowing up any dimensions on us!"

 _"Tch..."_ Her tone soured again. _'Whatever, I'm going back to sleep..'_

"Wha- Oh, well then." Neptune's smile faltered. "Man, you're gonna sleep all dripping wet? That can't be comfortable."

 _"Damn right!"_

"... Alrighty." Shoving her Nep Note back in her pocket, the bemused Nep turned the corner to the living room with a Verna bouncing in her grip. What greeted her was a Vert so deep in thought that she might as well have been numb to the world around her. Cave was standing directly in front of the Goddesses' field of vision to no avail.

"..." The only signs of life Vert gave awaywere her breathing and blinking cobalt eyes.

"..." Cave stared blankly, not thoroughly concerned.

"Uh, Cavey?" Big Nep approached the crimsonette, who had snapped out of her overly intense staring session and focused her gaze on the advancing duo plus one Croire.

"Hm? What is it, Neptune?" She asked quizzically, the Green Goddess still failing to register anyone's presence at all.

"Why are you staring at Verty so... menacingly?" Her smile grew nervous.

 _ **ゴゴゴゴ**_ _ **...**_

"Git yer references outta here!"

"Hi, Big Sis Cave!" Verna exclaimed happily, bouncing in Neptune's hold.

"Hello, Verna." Cave slightly smiled, her attention still focused on Neptune. "As for your question, my attempts at gaining Lady Vert's attention were futile at best. I can not deduce what has her so enamored, however..." Her face contorted in frustration. "She _ignores_ the outside world so easily. It is truly puzzling..."

Turning her lilac gaze to the busty Goddess once more, who looked like she was staring into the vast nothingness of space, Neptune was pretty bamboozled herself. "What'd you do to her?"

"Nothing that would cause my Lady physical harm. I ensured my guns were set to stun before firing them."

 _"Uhhhhh_..." Neptune didn't like the way that sentence was heading, but she didn't feel like questioning Cave was a good idea.

"As I said, no harm came to Lady Vert. Rest assured, my actions may cause deafness to any normal denizen, but I am ninety-eight percent sure she is unharmed."

"W-What about the other two percent?" Nervousness overtook the lilacette's tone, but the little one in her arms didn't seem all that concerned about Cave's potentially dangerous actions.

"Laughable. The odds are stacked in the opposite favor." Cave seemed confident in her declaration, even if Neptune just now noticed the _bullet holes_ decorating the wall behind the spaced-out Vert. Well, that wasn't even the scariest part. The scary part was that the holes formed a perfect outline of Vert's body, down to her curves and voluptuous that the redhead had decorated using the _couch_. No doubt Vert would have to plaster and replace when she awoke from her stupor.

Somehow, Neptune found herself being _more_ afraid of Cave than usual. The amount of holes and dedication to carving a perfect outline of the Goddess was terrifying in its own right. Regardless, despite her better judgement, Neptune wanted to try shaking the Goddess back to the land of the living herself. "Cavey, take this Verny!" And so, shoving her previous fear to the back of her mind for the time being, Neptune handed Verna over to Cave's arms.

"I'm a Verny!" She parroted. Cave held her safely, ruffling her semi-wet hair with a half-smile.

"What do you plan on doing, Neptune?" Cave asked, sounding a bit hesitant despite having taken such absurd action in the first place.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to shoot her," responded Neptune in a sassy tone. Cave wore a defensive look in response.

"It was on stun, as I have already stated." She responded coolly, while Verna was attempting to grab one of her pig tails. "Do not misinterpret my intentions."

"Big Sis Cave's hair is funny..." Verna giggled, attempting to bat her pseudo-sister's hairdo like a kitten with a ball of yarn.

"Right, right..." Rolling her eyes at the explanation, Neptune walked straight into Vert's empty line of sight. As expected, the Goddess was unresponsive, but that didn't deter the Maker in the slightest. In fact, she proceeded to bend down and flick the woman on her forehead. "Verty, wake up!"

"..." No response.

"Darn it!"

"Such an expertly designed plan." Cave's tone was mocking. "I never would have thought of something so advanced myself."

The purplette looked none too pleased with the redhead's wise-ass answer, sticking her tongue out in childish retaliation. "Shuddit, you. I have only begun my master plan, you see!"

"Master plan, hm?" Cave didn't sound very convinced, casually stroking Verna's head as she gave her a dull look. "And what is this master plan?"

"I don't like the way you're looking at me!" Neptune whined. "But whatever! I have another tactic to snap Verty back to her senses."

"I HAVE AN IDEA!"

"GU-" **Bonk!** "OWIE!" Unable to even react properly, Neptune was faced with Vert quite suddenly snapping to her senses. As a result, her head and Vert's head shared a very intimate moment, and the purplette was sent reeling back from the force.

"AH!" Vert was no different, gripping her forehead from the sudden strike of pain. "G-Ghk, what..."

"Way to go, Verty..." Neptune was lying on her back on the mercifully carpeted floor, pointing at her accusingly. "Way to make me tumble and crumble..."

"Oh... O-Oh!" Realization hit the Goddess. "I'm sorry, Neptune. I was... very deep in thought." She stood up from the couch... and then her legs were jelly. "W-Wha!?"

"GUH!" Neptune was crushed by the sudden Vert. "What the hell, Verty!? Did you wake up with a 'Let's cause Nep-Nep pain and misery' mode!?"

"I-I am so sorry! My legs fell asleep!" Vert attempted to scramble herself off of the purplette, causing her to bang her head on a stray book shelf she hadn't noticed before. "GHK!" It didn't help that some books fell on her as well.

"Karma...~" Neptune teased playfully, despite the stinging pain in her head.

"If I am to offer advice, it would be to move your bookshelf from such an odd location." Cave so generously placed her thoughts on the matter. "Really now, in the middle of the living room? So bizarre..."

"... Indeed." Vert agreed, a stagger in her step as she sought to right herself from the fall. "I just now realize that it was Neptune's choice of decoration. I have no idea why..."

"Big Sis Nep!" Verna bounced in Cave's hold, pointing happily to the older purplette.

"Er, yeah but not yeah, kiddo." Smiling awkwardly in response, Neptune ruffled Verna's hair.

"Eeee..." The tiny one jumped out of Cave's arms and into Neptune's, burying her face in the crane of her neck, the latter continuing her ruffling to incite more adorable reactions from her.

"... In any case..." Vert steered the topic in a more logical direction. "It is getting quite late, no? Neptune, I believe you should return home."

"Nooooooo!"

"Nooooooo!"

Both Nep and Verna voiced their objection with that statement, in perfect unison no less.

"E-Eh...?" Vert was taken back by the sudden response.

"I like Big Sis Nep! I really, really like her!" Verna hugged the older purplette. "I want her to stay, Big Sis!"

"Yeah, I want me to stay, too!" Neptune agreed. "Let me stay for tonight, Verty. Pretty please?" Neptune unleashed the dreaded _puppy dog eyes_ onto the CPU.

"Uh..."

"Pretty please?" Verna joined in, wearing the exact same look but _looking_ _far cuter_ than Neptune could ever hope to achieve.

"Ghk..." Vert, looking like she had taken a Cute Sucker Punch to the gut to the point where she was _gripping her chest_ , gave in. "V-Very well, I will allow Neptune to stay for the... night. Guh..."

"Yay!"

"Yay!"

Both Nep and Verna celebrated in unison. Cave merely tilted her head through it all with a dull expression, but not for the reason one may be expecting. "Lady Vert..."

"Y-Yes, Cave?" Regaining her composure... somewhat, Vert turned to the redhead. "What is it?"

"Taking into consideration that Verna's nightgown is currently going through the wash cycle, do you have anything else for her to wear?" She asked inquisitively, narrowing her eyes at the CPU. "You _did_ remember to supply her with more than just that one nightgown, correct?"

"..."

"..."

"... Verna?"

CPU, Maker and Verna blinked in unison, only the Candidate saying anything. It was her own name, for some odd reason, but it was better than awkward silence.

 _"... Really now?"_ However, it didn't spare the other two from Cave's dull wrath. "You did not think to buy her extra clothing? _Is that right?_ "

"... Uh." Vert looked utterly humiliated, her face painted red as she stared at the carpeted floor in shame.

"Well, to be fair, we wear the same clothes all the time..." Neptune bluntly pointed out. "I mean, I think Mini Me only changed her clothes once... years ago... Huh."

"If this were a game, I would not argue with such logic. However..." Reaching into her inventory, Cave pulled out a _bunny onesie_ from her hammerspace. "Since this is a fictional _story_ , I will donate pajama wear from my childhood to the little one for this instance only."

"..."

"..."

Now the two stared right back at Cave, their expressions blank.

"Is there an issue?" She asked, clearly not picking up on the strangeness of the situation.

"... You carry a onesie with you?" asked Vert, stunned.

"Yes." She answered, still not getting it.

"... And you do this because _why_?" asked an equally stunned Nep.

"That is not important. Here." Cave handed the pajamas to Vert. "I will take my leave now." With that said, the redhead turned her back towards them and made way towards the conveniently placed elevator by the T.V, of all places. "I will return tomorrow, in the noon, with a supply of clothes for the little one. Until then..." Shooting the trio one last look, she waved goodbye to Verna in particular - who waved back excitedly - before stepping into the elevator. The glass door automatically slid shut behind her, and the elevator descended with the redhead as its passenger.

"Okaaaaay..." Nep spoke up. "Let's get you changed into that, and head off into the dream realm, Verny!"

"Dreams!" Verna shared the excitement. With that, the duo sped towards wherever down the hall, jumping happily all the while.

"W-Wait, you don't know where my room i- Oooooh!" Worried, the big sister chased after them, but it would be a long while before she would catch up…

Nights in Leanbox would never be the same again, that was for sure.

* * *

 **Editors Note: After an almost 3 month absence, A Verdant Breeze has returned, re-edited and re-furbished for your viewing pleasure! With the help of some friends, chapter 6 to 11, which are now chapter 6 to 9, went through a massive editing overhaul because, admittedly, these chapters had turned out kind of... shit and, since a few of them were planned to be longer, they were melded with each other which results in the chapter count taking a dip, but hey, quality assurance.**

 **This note will be copied from this chapter to chapter 9, just to avoid confusion to the people that see A Verdant Breeze back on Page 1. Enjoy!**

 **-Yuri**


	8. Berna Catches A Cold!

"ACHOO!"

"V-Verna, dear, you have tissues right here!"

If Vert wasn't convinced before that the heavenly cosmos were determined to make her sisterly life miserable, she would have been mentally challenged if the CPU attempted to think otherwise now. Beating a dead horsebird? _Vert could not even recognize its skeletal structure_ , but the Universe's plan was still loud and clear.

The younger blonde sniffled, "I-I'm all icky..."

... and that was to undermine Vert's pride and self-esteem as much as was Goddessly possible.

The day itself had started off well enough. Vert had a supposedly perfectly formulated plan just begging to be set in motion, the older Neptune serving breakfast in a surprising gesture - regardless of the fact that she helped herself to half of it - and Chika had recovered from her wound nicely. All of that, combined with Cave's eventual visit with the new clothing, spelled out a good day to come for the CPU.

 _"Sis, I feel funny..."_

That was to say, until Verna uttered those words while eating a pancake breakfast. Before her loving sister could even ask what was wrong, the aforementioned food was forcefully returned to the plate it was eaten off of. Needless to say, the little one was treated rather quickly. She was brought to Vert's room to rest, which brought the CPU and her sick sister to the current situation.

 _'It is just a simple cold...'_ Neptune was able to deduce that easily enough, leaving Vert to lament over it bitterly while said purplette left to retrieve medicine. _'And yet it utterly destroys any possibilities of a good day with my sister…'_ The distraught Goddess mentally lamented. ' _Why me...'_

Of course, Vert couldn't exactly blame any otherworldly interventions this time around. The result of her extreme over-bundling the other day had a larger negative effect than the CPU and her company had anticipated. While the Candidate was still acting like nothing was wrong - her smile alone was enough to melt her sister's heart - she was suffering from a stomach ache and a runny nose according to her surrogate 'sister', Neptune.

 _'Gracious, it has not even been a week and I have already made my darling little sister sick!'_ Vert was internally berating herself, resisting the urge to slap her face multiple times for being such an utter idiot. _'I truly am a terrible sister! I can not even keep my Verna healthy for longer than seven days! The others would never let me hear the end of this!'_

"S-Sis...?" The young girl, living up to her title as a 'Green Sister' a little too well, caught Vert's attention. She was snuggled in warm blankets, a wet towel placed on her forehead. Instead of her green nightgown, Verna was dressed in the bunny onesie Cave had offered just yesterday. Her smile was still wide and gleeful, something Vert was grateful for. Although, it did make her worry that Verna was putting up a brave front just to calm her down.

"Er, yes darling?" Vert removed the wet cloth and placed her hand on Verna's forehead. It was still burning up, much to her dissatisfaction. "What is it?"

"W-Where's Big Sis Nep...?" The little girl asked, her smile turning into a sad frown as she peered from under her blanket. "I miss her..."

"Um, she will be right back, dear..." Vert patted her sister's head in reassurance, her smile strained. "Although, it has been ten minutes already..." Vert trailed off then, wondering what was taking the purplette so long. She gazed towards the open doorway. "At most it should have taken her five minutes. The bathroom is not that far…"

The young Verna sniffled again, "C-Can Big Sis get her?" asked Verna meekly, her voice barely above a whisper as her face was almost completely buried under the blankets. "I wan' her..."

 _'Ooooooh...'_ Vert crumpled inwardly, the weight of her sisters adorableness crushing her tremendously. "O-Of course. Chika?" The previously unnoticed Oracle was suddenly brought to attention, who had been sitting in an eloquently designed chair the whole time Vert was taking care of her sister. She appeared to grumble under her breath, the CPU couldn't even fathom why that was, before the Oracle rose from her chair and made her way to the Leanboxian sisters with a heaviness in her step.

"Yes, dear?" Her tone was upbeat, regardless. That eased Vert's suspicions for the time being, though she still believed she should question Chika later..

 _'I'm sure it's nothing, regardless. Gracious, I hope she hasn't caught a cold as well...'_ That would be a nightmare scenario for the CPU, undoubtedly. _'No, no, I would have noticed already. She faked it so much in the past. Still...'  
_  
"Would you care to watch Verna, please? I need to go find Neptune..." She asked with a sigh, placing a gloved hand to her forehead and rubbing gently. "What would be so difficult about finding medicine?"

"Of course, darling." The Oracle smiled, gesturing towards the door. "Go find her, I'll take care of Verna."

"Big Sis Chika!" Verna proclaimed excitedly, reaching her arms out.

Vert chuckled. "Very well. I will be right back." She departed shortly after, leaving her trusted Oracle to care for her little sister as she traversed the ridiculously long hallway.

 _'Did she get lost?'_ She wondered. _'Perhaps. This is her first time in my home, after all. Then again...'_

In hindsight, considering the fact that Vert herself still got lost after so many years, it wasn't that big of a surprise. Then again, Vert spent ninety-percent of her time in her room, on the 'accursed computer' while Chika tried to gain her attention.

 _'Of course, with Verna a part of our family now, things simply cannot go back to how they were... and I fear my overall allotted time on Four Goddesses Online II will be sliced in half...'_

Vert shuddered at the thought. _'What a terrifying thing to imagine...'_ So was the burden of having a new sister to care for. Her utter incapability was just one of the issues she faced, albeit the biggest one. _'Hm... what a dilemma...'_ Her frown fell into one hard line, the decision between her games and her sister incredibly difficult for her. _'Ergh... Oh, what does it matter? That is the least of my concerns...'_

Her mind went silent for a moment after that, only her footsteps creating a dull thudding noise throughout the long empty hall. Her face returned to the downtrodden look she had become a little too accustomed to wearing.

 _'What should concern me is my awful luck...'_ Her frown deepened. _'I had such a wonderful day planned ahead too. I even went out of my way to register a Platinum Membership for Verna on Jump! Magazine! We were supposed to shop at Otaku Central until the sun no longer greeted us! What a dreadful waste!'  
_  
Indeed, Lady Green Heart's luck had been nothing short of terrible. Over and over again, without fail, her plans and efforts had fallen flat on their faces. It was unbelievable, inconceivable even, that she could fail so badly so consistently. It was as if Neptune had taken the reigns of the Universe and decided to 'troll' her every hour of every day.

Actually, she would have preferred that over her situation now. At least Neptune showed mercy. The Holy Spirits of the Universe and Beyond, however, were relentless and unsympathetic. No matter how much the CPU of Green pleaded and cried for a break, all it added up to was more punishment and even more suffering. She, the one CPU who clamored for a sister of her own for nearly her entire life, had to think of plans and situations on the fly for her darling and innocent Verna.

 _'It is simply not fair...!'_ She whined internally, the stomping of her feet echoing through the halls. _'Neptune, Noire, Blanc... they have all had relative success with their sisters, and they hardly grant them the attention they most certainly deserve! Why must I, the most deserving of us, be made to suffer!? It is just illogical! Unreasonable! Spiteful! J-Just... just outright mean!'_

Ignoring the fact that Vert sounded exactly like the five-year old she was trying so hard to raise, the trip to the bathroom was far more tedious than she would have liked it to be. The CPU could feel her feet drag on the carpet, certain that she wasn't even halfway there yet. A part of her seemed to accept this as a reason why Neptune still hadn't made it back yet, but considering her luck recently, that would probably be too easy.

 _'Why must my Basilicom be so large?'_ Vert pondered, agitated. _'Is this a clever joke regarding my size, or was the CPU then simply overcompensating? I will never know...'_

"Lady Vert?" A calm, monotone voice questioned from behind her. Slightly surprised, the CPU turned her body around and locked eyes with a familiar redhead.

"O-Oh..." The CPU wore a nervous smile, hoping her worry and frustration wasn't expressed outwardly as she tried to greet the soldier. "C-Cave, what a... surprise..."

"..."

Seeing Cave's confused expression made Vert want to slap herself. With Blanc's hammer. No, her axe.

 _'Of course, why would she not be here? Someone run me over with a truck...'_

"Er, I... suppose?" Raising an eyebrow in her direction, making Vert's heat up and feel greatly ashamed at her stupidity, the redhead held up several bags. "Regardless, I have returned with the clothing as I promised. It is all childhood clothing that will fit me no more, as you know."

"R-Right..." Still struck with residual shame, her smile softened to a more relaxed position. Her face was still a brilliant shade of red, but she was happy that Cave wanted to move on as much as she did. "H-However…" Vert cleared her throat, "Verna is feeling rather sick. The poor thing has been in bed all day."

"Oh?" Cave expressed concern, her bags dropping to knee length. "What happened?"

"She has come down with a terrible cold, I'm afraid." The CPU frowned. "Your arrival is very fortunate, actually, she will appreciate more company."

"I will make it my best interest to insure she recovers." Cave nodded. "But, why are you not with her? I would assume you would be by her side..."

"I was, but Neptune is being... well, Neptune." She couldn't have come up with a more valid answer if she tried.

"I see." Cave nodded in understanding.

"I will be back in ten minutes or so." Vert checked her watch and, realizing that she didn't own such a thing, blushed profusely. "T-Take care of Verna until then."

"Of course." Clearly ignoring that brief moment of idiocy, the redhead turned around and made her way down the very long hallway. Green Heart released an exasperated sigh as soon as Cave was out of hearing range.

 _'She must be so ashamed of me... and I honestly can not blame her...'_ Feeling her misery double instead of decrease, the CPU trudged through the halls like a zombie. _'I wish I could crawl under a boulder and live there for the rest of my eternal life. Can I have that, True Goddess up above?'_

It was at that moment Vert knew, she was completely insane.

 _'I am so hopeless...'_

"YO! Is someone in the halls? I can hear you!" A familiar voice cried out. "Mind being a helper and help a Nep out?"

"... What?" Relieved, but at the same time befuddled, Vert tuned her ears on overdrive and followed the yelling. Conveniently, it was in the Bathroom, and in there to greet her...

"Oh, uh... hm... Hey!"

... was Neptune, bound by a Compa-style bandage job. Somehow, **_somehow_** , she had managed to tangle herself upside down and hang from the ceiling above and dangle helplessly. The bathroom was completely and utterly destroyed. Broken mirrors, stained windows, collapsed curtains, water overflowing from the sink and shower, the floor stained with an... undefinable substance of sorts.

Chika would explode if she found this, Vert knew that. Currently, however, Neptune looked mighty embarrassed at someone seeing her in such a predicament. Vert could tell she was waiting to be cut down, and hopefully soon.

"..." Of course, she needed to get over her utter shock first.

"Mind being a pal and getting me down from here?" asked Neptune. "I kinda... can't do that myself. Heh..."

 _"You're such a dumbass..."_ Her Nep Note spoke brashly from inside her pocket. _"Seriously, you have to try to screw up_ this _badly..."_

"..." Vert was silent, her face blank and expressionless.

"Er..." Neptune felt rather awkward, dangling upside down and all, and it certainly didn't help that her means of freedom was rendered motionless. "Crostie, is she alright?"

 _"How the hell should I know!? I can't see anything from in here!"_

"Right..." Sighing, Neptune set her gaze on the statue-esque CPU in front of her."... Uhhhhh, Earth to Vert? Are you listen-"

 **Shing! Thud!** "OW!"

 _"Sonuva bitch, why did you have to land on **my** side!?"_

With a swing of her spear, Vert cut down Neptune with ease. The purplette tumbled awkwardly to the ground, hitting her head on the toilet on the way down. The Goddess could see a very large bruise forming.

"Now, Neptune... how?" asked Vert, her eyes wide. "How did you manage... this?" She gestured towards the apocalyptic wasteland that was once her bathroom. "And this... how? Explain. Please."

 _"Yeah, I'd love to hear one to, sweet cheeks."_

"Uuuuugh..." Rubbing the back of her head, the damaged Nep slowly sat up. She blinked, staring at Vert in confusion. "Uh, who're you? Where am I?"

"Oh, for goodness sake!"

 **WHACK!** "OW!"

A visible vein growing on her forehead, Vert gave the purplette a good whack on the noggin with the blunt end of her spear. Another very noticeable bruise grew on the back of her head, wincing as she rubbed it. "Ow..."

"I apologize, but I am not traveling down that plot line again..." The CPU sighed in exasperation, willing her spear away as Neptune stumbled to her feet. "It has been done to death, you see..."

"Yeah yeah, I get it..." Neptune grumbled, taking a line of bandage that bonded her and wrapping it around her damaged head. "Thanks for the concussion, by the way. What's that spear made out of!?"

"Oh, I'm glad you asked!" Vert's eyes lit up. "You see, it all started when my Giga Drill was destroyed by Blanc some years ago..."

"I wasn't being serious!" Neptune yelled, then clenched her head. "Ow..."

"Gracious, you shouldn't yell so loud." Vert chastised, ignoring the dull look of response she received from the purplette. "Regardless, just what in the name of Celestia have you been doing in here!?" Vert cautiously stepped over a puddle of mysterious liquid, staring down the elder Nep with a glare in her eyes. "A tornado would not do this mess justice..."

"Uhhhhh..." Neptune blanked, as if she herself didn't know why the bathroom was a warzone. "Uhhhhh..." Either that, or she just didn't want to admit it. Either possibility fed Vert's growing headache.

"Forget it..." Dreading the inevitable maelstrom that would be Chika's fury, Vert opened the cabinet near the broken mirror and snatched the medicine. "Honestly, I even told you where the medicine was. Do I have to do everything myself?"

"Mmmmm... maybe."

Vert frowned. "I wasn't looking for an answer, Neptune."

"Then why'd you ask?" Neptune shot back.

"..." Dead silent and dull, Vert simply turned around, shut off the faucets and left the bathroom.

"W-Wait, I just kidding! Vert!?" Neptune followed her, vainly making panicked attempts to smooth things over. Obviously, since her blunders were so incredibly awful, it was going to be very hard to do so in even a semi-confident manner.

"I'm not listening...~" Vert responded musically, which made Neptune's nervousness spike.

"Heeeeeeey, yer not gonna take the Bathroom Dilemma seriously, r-right?" The purplette forced a nervous laugh. Vert responded with a sickeningly sweet smile, making Neptune gulp. "C-Come on, I did my very best! R-Really!"

"Oh, I won't do anything. _Chika_ on the other hand, why, she'll probably blow a fuse, nay, an entire circuit board when she discovers what you've done. Actually, that's probably an understatement~"

"... Is that bad?"

"Very." She responded in that same sweet voice, smiling brightly in her direction. "I, for one, would be very much surprised if she left you with your limbs intact."

"Aw, geez!"

* * *

"Big Sis Chika?"

 _'Don't let her get to you, don't let her get to you, don't let her get to you!'_ "What is it?" Chika responded to the soft voice from under the covers, after taking a moment to mentally berate herself in preparation for any sudden tricks the little one might pull on her.

The Oracle of Leanbox was a cautious woman, after all. Her head was totally in the game, ready to take on any danger in the shape of a five-year old. She was ready for anything!"

"C-Can I have some chips...?"

Okay, she wasn't ready for that, per se... don't judge her!

"Heehee... Big Sis Chika looks funny... sniffle..."

Nevermind the fact that the kid asked for snacks while she was sick as a Dogoo, but more so that Verna still found a way to smile and laugh despite being ill. Somehow, the kid was still giggling despite sneezing her brains out.

Somehow, she was still happy despite feeling clearly looking, and probably feeling, miserable. Chika didn't understand it, and it frustrated her for all of the wrong reasons.

"Y-Yeah, I... guess..." Feeling her cuteness shield crumpling already, Chika shook her head and moved from the foot of the bed to its side. "Kid, why do you want chips? That's pretty much the last thing you should be eating right now!" Moving to the side of Vert's bed, Chika dropped to her knees and voiced a concern she obviously didn't hear. "In fact, you shouldn't be putting anything in your mouth but medicine!" She glanced towards the door, but there was still no sign of her one true love and that other person.

"But... I'm hungry..." Verna mumbled, shrinking under her covers in an intense display of shyness. "Really hungry..."

"You're also really sick." Chika countered. "Your…" She gulped, "S-sister might allow such a thing, but you'll find I'm not as nice as my darling. Junk food will certainly not help your condition, so that is that."

"But-"

"No buts."

"Boo..." Verna pouted, her azure eyes gaining a shimmering glow that stared down into the Oracle's soul. "I wan' some chips..."

 _'Is this kid seriously pulling this cutesy trick again!?'_ Taken aback for a brief moment, Chika responded to the melodramatic puppy-eyed stare with a glare that meant business.

"No means no, little missy." Chika pressed her index finger against Verna's forehead. It was drenched in sweat. "You're bed-ridden, and I'm not letting one chip enter that mouth until you feel better." She leaned back, a frown on her face. "So suck it up."

"Mm..." Verna pouted, sinking into her bed in a crestfallen manner. "Big Sis Chika is mean..."

"W-What!?" Chika was dumbstruck, to say the least. "Hmph!"

"What are you doing this time, Chika?" A stoic voice rang through the room, a voice that Chika knew all too well. She didn't even need to look to know who it was, hence her shocked look morphing into one of frustration. "I do hope you are not annoying the little one. She is suffering enough."

"Grrr..." Chika glared, but Cave ignored.

"Big Sis Cave!" Verna just about shot up from her bed in happiness. She was held down by Cave's gentle hand, who had somehow made it from behind Chika to beside the bedridden Candidate in the span of one second. Chika didn't know how that happened, but she didn't care as she realized she had bags of clothes thrown onto her lap.

"Hello, Verna." There was a gentleness to her otherwise serious tone, her hand pressed against Verna's head as she laid her back down. "Do not over-exert yourself. Rest."

"O-Okay..." Verna shrank back into her covers, smiling wide and her eyes sparkling in adoration. Chika growled from the sidelines, a scowl defining her features.

 _'Sure, you're a darling angel when Big Sis Cave shows up, huh?'_ thought Chika bitingly. _'I see through you, little brat.'_ She glared icily at the young Candidate

"She's burning up." announced Cave, wiping her gloved hand on her skirt. "I do not feel it is my place to say such things, but Lady Vert's child-caring skills are very poor... at best."

 _'Ouch...'_ Chika felt that burn. "She can still learn as we go along. You need to have more faith in her."

"I suppose..." Cave shut her eyes, contemplating as she spoke. "But, in all fairness, I get the feeling of confusion and cluelessness whenever I see Lady Vert and the little one together..." Cave reached out and pet Verna's head, earning a weak giggle. "As if she truly does not know what she is doing."

"Well..." Chika didn't have a real counter. Instead, she gained a sudden interest in her hands.

"You see it too, don't you?" asked Cave. "I am well aware of her extreme want of a sibling in the past, but I feel it was just that: Want. No preparation whatsoever, it seems."

"Hmph! You're spouting crazy talk." Chika accused, grabbing Cave by the hem of her black top and pulling her down to eye level. "You see how my Darling Vert acts around that twerp!? She's so completely euphoric around her, it's annoying!" Her tone morphed into a harsh whisper.

"I am merely stating what I have deduced through annalistic observations." Cave responded in an equally quiet tone, unaffected as always by Chika's fury. "It is not my fault you have a tendency to overreact to the simplest of situations." She bopped her nose playfully. "Grow up, it is a truly wonderful experience."

"Hmph!" Chika puffed her cheeks and snapped her head to the left, her vibrant green hair almost hitting Cave in the face as she let her go.

"Such a child..." The soldier sighed, giving her Oracle friend a sarcastic pat before standing upright.

"Mm..." Verna grumbled, catching the attention of the two as her small form shifted under the green covers. "I-I feel funny..."

Cave was by her side in an instant, such speed being lost to the likes of Chika, and pressed her palm against the Candidate's forehead once more. "Where do you feel 'funny', little one?" She asked softly.

"Tummy..." She mumbled. Her eyes narrowing, Cave grabbed the hem of the covers and pulled them down slightly. Verna still smiled at her, despite the complaining, which seemed to relieve her apparent stress.

"A stomachache? Hm..."

"What are you looking all troubled for?" asked Chika. "She's sick, you already knew that."

"Indeed..." Cave squeezes her lips into a hard line, regardless. "However, that does not excuse my worrying about the little one, does it not?"

Chika shrugged. "I guess not, but you should at least chill out a little. It's a cold, not cancer."

The redhead glared in her direction. "Hm..."

"Big Sis Cave...?"

"Yes, little one?" Cave directed her attention back to the little girl, who looked a bit concerned.

"Where's Big Sis Nep...?" She frowned. "I wanna see her..."

"Uh, your older sister went to retrieve her, did she not...?" Cave tilted her head in confusion, looking towards Chika for answers.

"Well, yeah, she made me watch the br- Verna until she got back." Chika turned her head towards the open door. Empty. "What's taking her so long? Don't tell me she got lost again!"

"I would hope not..." commented Cave, reaching her hand out and patting the Candidates head. "Considering Neptune's... extravagant behavior, however, it does not surprise me that she is late. At the same time, though, Verna is still in need of medicine."

"Well, she-"

"I have arrived..." The dull voice of Leanbox's CPU made itself known, the Goddess entering her own room with a sag in her step. With a sigh, she crudely dropped in a nearby chair and rubbed her head. "And I need Aspirin..."

"D-Don't be such a drama queen, Verty!" A flummoxed Neptune soon followed her, fake tears rolling down her cheeks. "Come oooooooon, the bathroom can't be that expensive, right?"

"... 25,000c for the tiling alone." Vert muttered, acting almost traumatized in a sense. "New windows, new curtains, new shower... Oh, my poor poor wallet..."

"C'mon, s-stop acting all emotional!" Nep begged worriedly, especially when Chika's attention was caught. She could feel her crimson eyes burning a hole into her skull. "Y-You were so upbeat just a minute ago! S-Seriously, don't do this!"

"Big Sis Nep!" With a sniffle, Verna waved happily, sneezing shortly after. She was held down by Cave, who made the wise decision to stay away from whatever sort of event was about to happen.

"H-Hey, kiddo..." Neptune waved back limply, her usually bright smile strained and nervous. She didn't even make eye contact with the Candidate, instead focusing on quashing Vert's attitude. "H-Hey, Verty-"

"What was that about the bathroom~?" Neptune visibly froze when Chika's sugar sweet voice came right behind her, her smile wide and sickening to the core. "I could have sworn I heard my dearest talk about property damage...~?"

"Uhhhh..." Neptune made the effort to attempt a quick retreat, but she was seized by Chika's hand grabbing the front of her hoodie. The purplette was pulled from her spot and met face-to-face with the Oracle, a dangerous glint in her vermillion eyes.

"Care to tell me all about it out in the hallway? You don't mind, do you?"

Neptune gulped. "C-Can't we just talk about this in a completely rational and unbiased-" **PULL!** "N-Nope, guess not! EEP!" She was dragged out the door by Chika, never to be seen again. She will be missed dearly. "Hey, I'm still alive!"

"Not for loooooong!"

"HEEEEEELP!"

"Oh, that's right! Here is the medicine Neptune was supposed to retrieve, Cave." And just like that, Vert had reverted back to her usual, composed self. She tossed a white bottle in Cave's direction, the latter catching it easily with one hand. She had a look of disbelief on her face as she twisted it open.

"... You imposed a fake front to ensure Neptune would not survive Chika's wrath, correct?"

Vert simply smiled sweetly, while screams of bloody murder emitted from the halls.

"NOT THERE! I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO MARRY MINI M- I-I mean, SOMEONE TOTALLY RANDOM THAT I DON'T CUDDLE WITH AT NIGHT! YEAH!"

"... Right."

"Big Sis Nep is weird..." Verna mumbled from under her covers.

"Indeed, now open wide." Cave knelt down and held a spoon full of the liquid medicine in front of the little girl. "Do not ask me to imitate airplane noises. I guarantee failure."

"It looks icky..." The sick one whined, shifting a bit.

"Perhaps, but if you want artificially flavored tortilla chips to grace your taste buds once again, I highly suggest you consume this medicine." She gestured the spoon towards her mouth again.

"Mm..."

"Say 'ah'." Cave ordered. "Please."

"Ahhh..." Verna did as instructed, and Cave put the spoon in her mouth. Verna made a face like she was sucking a lemon, and would have spit it out if Cave didn't keep her mouth shut.

"Swallow." Came the simple order. After hearing an audible gulp, Cave released her grip and Verna stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Icky..." She mumbled, shrinking back into the depths of her covers while Cave patted her head.

"Good girl."

"NOT THERE! NOT THERE! CROSTIE, HELP ME!"

 _"You kidding? This is music to my ears! Keep it going!"_

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

"..."

"..."

Verna sneezed.

"... Why don't we put on some cartoons, dear?" Vert frantically reached for the remote, broadcasting a distraction in the shape of an anthropomorphic sponge and a mentally-challenged starfish.

"Yay!"

* * *

 **Editors Note: After an almost 3 month absence, A Verdant Breeze has returned, re-edited and re-furbished for your viewing pleasure! With the help of some friends, chapter 6 to 11, which are now chapter 6 to 9, went through a massive editing overhaul because, admittedly, these chapters had turned out kind of... shit and, since a few of them were planned to be longer, they were melded with each other which results in the chapter count taking a dip, but hey, quality assurance.**

 **This note will be copied from this chapter to chapter 9, just to avoid confusion to the people that see A Verdant Breeze back on Page 1. Enjoy!**

 **-Yuri**


	9. The Otaku Shop!

A span of three days had passed before Verna had fully and completely recovered from her unfortunate cold strike, which in no way thanks to her loving older sister, and was her normal healthy self once again.

"Heehee, Mr. Birb is funny!"

It was especially relieving to see her younger sister bounce up and down while watching children's cartoons. Her bright shining smile never failed to warm Vert's heart, the innocence and limitless energy radiating from her enough to make even the grumpiest and most miserable person smile.

'I should introduce her to Noire sometime...' she thought to herself, chuckling at her own joke.

"Such colorful, bouncy imagery... yet the delivery is so irrevocably abysmal that I honestly prefer Chika complaining..." Beside her sister, a less than enthusiastic Cave sat dignified and cultivated on the long white couch, her arms folded across her chest as her emerald eyes peered.

"Birb Birb Birb Birb Birb Birb-"

What can only be described as vibrant nonsensical drivel played on the large screened TV in front of them. Verna seemed to love it a great deal, laughing at the otherwise cheesy and bland jokes, but it would be an absolute lie to say that the soldier was as enraptured as her 'little sister.'

"At least I can pry some enjoyment out of her senseless rambling. This... this makes me feel empty."

"You know, I'm right here." The now irritated Oracle growled, who was seated to Verna's left.

"Indeed you are." Cave responded coolly, who seemed to grasp desperately at the distraction rewarded to her. "And does it negate my words in any regard?"

Chika's eye twitched. "Ghk..."

"Hm..." Vert, for her part, stood almost motionless in the corner. She allowed her darling sister to have a sweet time with her 'sisters' for the time being, her third 'sister' and her foul-mouthed book had left only a short while ago, after being called back to Planeptune by her wondering CPU self.

She was still very nervous over Neptune's ability to keep Verna's existence a secret, but she digressed.

'I am thankful they helped my Verna recover rather quickly, nonetheless...' The blonde eyed the trio on the couch. Chika made a strangling motion towards Cave, while said redhead completely ignored and patted the giggling Verna's head. 'But I cannot help but feel they detached me further from her...'

"Lady Vert?"

"H-Huh? Oh..." The Green Goddess was hastily shaken out of her thought by a concerned Cave, which was probably for the best. "U-Uh, hello Cave..."

"Are you alright? You seemed very distant for a second."

Vert's face fell, "I-I am fine Cave. I was simply lost in thought."

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately." said Cave. Vert only nodded. "Would you care to share them? What is it that they say? 'Credit for your thoughts?'"

"Er..." Vert wasn't sure she was ready to admit her big sisterly faults to one of her own citizens quite, unbeknownst to her that said citizen was already aware of them. "You see-"

"Big Sis!" Speak of the adorable devil, the little girl ran towards her elder sister and wrapped herself around her legs. "Big Sis, big sis!"

"Ah, yes dear?" Seeing that her arms had already wrapped around Verna's small form, which made the young girl giggle, Vert resisted the urge to squeal uncontrollably.

"... Can I have chips?" The manner of which she asked, eyes wide and full of innocence with a smile as bright as the sun in the sky, nearly sent Vert into a sister-induced coma. Thankfully, she was able to overcome this and meet eyes with her sister.

"O-Of course you-"

"Ohhhhh no!" A Chika appeared. "Don't you dare try to sway your sister, kid! I already said no, and it means no!" The fuming Oracle grabbed Verna from under the armpits and lifted her up.

"Boo..." Verna moped, her head hanging. "I wan' chips..."

"Tough luck." She carried the grumbling Verna back to the couch and plopped her on the middle cushion. "You don't always get what you want, so suck it up and watch cartoons."

"Mm..." Verna crossed her arms and wore a pouty face. Chika rolled her eyes.

"Cave, do something about her."

"Understood." Cave placed her hand on the little girls head and petted her like a cat. The reaction, of course, was Verna devolving into a giggling heap of adorableness. Just like that, her sour mood was forgotten. "Mission accomplished."

"Heehee..."

"Uh..." Vert just stood there, watching events transpire in front of her. Chika approached her beloved CPU with a reassuring smile.

"Everything's fine, dearest." She placed her hands on her shoulders in an act of assurance. "Your... s-sister just needs to learn to follow rules, is all."

"I-I see..." Vert nodded, somehow ignoring the obvious face twitch that occurred when Chika said 'sister.' "Regardless, I wanted to talk with her about something, also."

"And what's that, dearest?" inquired the Oracle.

"I had plans to take Verna out to Gamers, I had a membership card made for her, you see. I feel she should have a chance to relish in manga delights!" Her eyes sparkled as thoughts swirled her mind. "Verna's sickness put a grinding halt in that plan, but since she's well again, I can finally put them into fruition!"

"Wrong answer!" Chika suddenly appeared behind her, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the living room.

"W-Wha? Chika, where are we going?" Surprised, the CPU wriggled and writhed as her ever caring Oracle pulled her away from her beloved sister.

"Your office." said Chika sternly. "You think having a little sister exempts you from doing your work? You have a load backed up from the last few days! It needs to be accounted for!"

"B-But-"

"Don't worry, Cave and I will make sure the kid sees Gamers in all it's glory, while you do your job!" Her smile was sickening.

"T-This... THIS IS SIMPLY UNFAIR!" She yells, her plans thwarted once again by evil things called 'work' and 'duties.' "MY SISTER AND I DESERVE SOME QUALITY TIME! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" Such a hard life, Lady Green Heart led.

"... Big Sis Cave, what was that?"

"Unsure, but I have a distinct feeling we may be spending the day out."

"Yay!"

* * *

"Big Sis Cave, where are we going?" the little girl's quiet, curious voice beamed into the redhead's ear for what must have been the twentieth-ninth time. As Cave walked along the busy streets of Leanbox, effortlessly evading any citizen in her path and making sure to keep an hold on Verna's legs, she could clearly feel the small hands playing with her twintails nonstop even as the question came.

"Asking repeatedly shall not dignify a response from me, little one," the soldier told the girl on her back, letting out a sigh. "Once again, it would simply be redundant to reveal a surprise."

"But... I really wanna know..." Verna mumbled dejectedly, her hold tightening just a bit as the little girl let her head fall on the redhead's shoulder.

Cave sighed once again at that.

'Children truly are difficult...'

To their right, a scowling Oracle was having quite a bit more trouble avoiding the crowd. She wasn't exactly known for being graceful, something Caved mastered long ago. "Ugh, kid, if you ask one more time, I swear"

"Does Big Sis Chika know?" Cave heard her ask, to which the greenette responded with a growl.

"That would be telling, and I don't do spoilers, kid."

"Aw..." The kid sulked once more, while Chika huffed. Cave simply rolled her eyes at the exchange. It was as if she was taking care of two children, in a way.

"It is only a certain number of blocks away from our location, little one." Regardless of her behavior, Cave had felt the need to ease the lazy little girl regardless. "We will be there within minutes, that much I can assure. Chika and I simply ask for your patience."

"Yeah, what she said..." Chika grumbled. Stopping for a second and, while ensuring Verna safety on her backside, Cave gracefully moved her right hand to the location of Chika's forehead and proceeded to flick it.

"Ow!" Of course, that only served to worsen the Oracles mood as she now dealt with a stinging pain resonating on the base of her skull. "Tch, ouch..."

"You too. You are an Oracle, patience should be your virtue." said Cave. The Oracle said nothing to her, whether that be out of respect for her words or childish deviance to her playful bullying, Cave wasn't sure. Verna was oblivious to the exchange regardless, however that was managed.

"Mm, okay..." While still sounding dejected, the tiny Candidate had resumed her previous action of swiftly messing with Cave's crimson hair. The little girl giggled as her previously twin-tailed style was transformed into a disarray of curls. Somehow, in whatever way possible, Verna had managed to actually undo her twin tails to achieve maximum hair mussy-ness.

"Uh, Cave..."

"I know." It was a good thing she could play off bad situations so easily. " Regardless, It seems we have made it..."

With Cave's words, an immense pressure was put the back of her neck. She felt Verna's shoeless feet stand on her shoulders and her hands press down on her skull. She was practically bouncing in her place, while Cave had to secure her hold on the little girls ankles to make sure she didn't fall and hurt herself.

"Hey, ease it there, kid!" Chika spoke up. "Really, do you want to make a stain on the sidewalk?"

"Where where!?" The young girl asked excitedly, ignoring Chika entirely as she bounced up and down in a frenzied manner. Cave was forced to physically stop and readjust both herself and the one acting as if she were on a sugar high.

"Little one, I must ask you to calm down." said Cave sternly. "You will fall and hit your head if you continue to move so erratically."

"But I wanna see!" Logic held no meaning to Verna. Sighing, Cave reached back and lifted her up from her shoulders and turned her small form around to face her. "Heehee, Big Sis Cave looks funny..."

"It is no wonder why." Her stoic look hardening just a bit, the soldier set the kid down on the sidewalk. Obviously, Verna wasn't very happy about that. She clung to Cave's thigh while she tended to her disaster zone of a hairstyle. The redhead tried to unregister her presence, and even goaded Chika to try and pry her off, but for goodness sake the girl was frowning.

"Big Sis Cave doesn' like me..." She mumbled, catching her attention as she was only semi-done with fixing her hair.

"And what makes you say that, little one?" Her emerald orbs peered at her, ignoring the obvious fact that the Oracle was grabbing the little girls legs and pulling pretty darn hard. Verna's death grip on Cave's legs seemed to be harder, however that logic might have worked. "If I remember correctly, that never escaped my lips. Please, don't misconstrue Chika's words for my own."

"B-But Big Sis Chika really really likes me!" Verna was quick to defend her 'sister.' "Right, Big Sis Chika?"

"... Yeah, sure kid..."

"And I care for you as well, little one."

"B-But... Big Sis Cave put me down. S-So Big Sis Cave doesn' like me..." Flawless logic right here.

"I only set you down for the continued survival of my hair, you see..." A valid argument, as Cave settled to try and locate the place holders that held her twin tails up. "And as much as I am fond of you, I can only take so much, little one."

"... I-Is Big Sis Cave mad?" asked the little girl, staring at the taller woman with sparkling azure orbs. Such a look was enough to bring the toughest warrior to their knees, which made it very hard for Cave to maintain her usual 'Don't mess with me' posture along with her stoic expression.

"Don't fall for it, Cavey!" Chika warned, actual beads of sweat running down her head as she pulled on Verna's legs with all her might. "It's a trap! And not the gender-confusing kind!"

"Chika, release her." The Oracle did so, nearly crashing into the building behind her as Verna was still latched onto the redhead. "Little one, go to the front entrance for a minute. It is only a few feet away, we will join you shortly. And no, I am not mad at you."

"Yay!" Hugging her 'sister' for a final time, Verna released her and took off for the entrance. Smiling slightly, she approached her friend. Her striking scarlet hair had been smoothed out and was now descending freely to her upper-mid back. She caught her grumbling, and barely smiled.

"It seems your strength was no match for that of the terrible five-year old." Her tone laced with smugness and teasing, Cave reached her hand out towards the now glaring woman. She begrudgingly accepted, hopping to her feet and dusting her risqué outfit off.

"Ugh, the hell are in those chips?" She grumbled, her face sour over the very humiliating defeat. "You bring this up to no one, especially not my dearest, got it?"

"Of course." Resisting the urge to grin, Cave ran her fingers trough her now flowing crimson hair. "It seems I will have to purchase new holders now, as well. How she managed this alludes me..."

"Eh, don't bother." suggested Chika. "You used to walk around with your hair swinging free until ol' Lyree came by and tied them up."

"Please recede from referring to her as that. It is not a nice nickname." Cave lamented. "But, if you feel so inclined, I'll leave it down for the time being."

"Big Sis Caaaaaave, I wanna wanna wanna wanna go iiiiiiiin!"

"... That aside, we should begin our visit with haste. Lady Vert's wishes shall not go to waste here, and I fear the little one will break through the door if we do not move quickly."

"Yeah yeah, sure."

* * *

"There has to be some sort of cosmic vendetta against me. How is this continued misfortune possible!?"

Vert really wanted to scream right about now. She had taken the time to do the planning, even waited patiently for her sister to get better... And yet, here she was, alone in her office with no one and nothing to keep her company but a simple pen.

"Must I...?" She stared at the gargantuan pile of papers, still left untended on her desk. Still a great many things that needed to be accounted for, which frustrated Vert greatly since she had already done so much of it, and yet it seemed like the pile didn't shrink in the slightest.

"Agh..." Vert cradled her right hand, which ached terribly from the never-ending paperwork, and frowned. "It... should not be too selfish to require a break from work, yes?" She legitimately asked herself that, then nodded. "For the sake of my poor hand... I shall take a well-deserved break." With that mindset, Vert rose from her desk and left her office in its messy, paper-filled state. Within a few minutes she reached her bedroom, and sighed with relief as she closed the door behind her.

"At last..." She sat herself on her green-colored sofa, taking a resting position shortly after as she reached for the remote for her TV, seated nicely on her tea table.

Except the table was a tad too far to reach. Such a menial dilemma, but Vert really didn't have it in her to sit up and reach for it that way. Instead, she summoned her spear and, using her infinite wisdom, hooked it's convenient handle and pulled the remote over to her. Smiling in satisfaction, she turned her TV on. "Perfect..."

The Goddess readjusted herself while she flipped through various television networks. Adjusting her pillows to accommodate for her large form, which her sofa failed to do as she propped her legs on its golden arm rest. It was comfortable enough for her tastes, though she entertained the thought of getting a better one.

"What shall I watch...?" The tired CPU had some trouble on deciding on a program, though it would all be background dribble in the end since it was likely she was going to pass out on the sofa. "Hm, I suppose it doesn't matter, then." She stopped on a random network and, after summoning her spear again to pull the table closer, set the remote down on its surface for future use if need be.

 _'We'll be right back after these short messages...'_ Oh, it seems Vert had chosen to stay on the channel that then decided to cut to a commercial break, before she could even process what the program even was. Although slightly annoyed, she lacked the energy to even summon her spear for a third time, so she lay watching.

The first commercial to come on was something she didn't expect. Tribal chanting and singing started off almost immediately, with the image of a baby being lifted up to the sun following right after that. Vert raised an eyebrow, but the confusion only lasted for a few seconds as the commercial cut to a gorgeous view of a beautiful amusement park, then she got an idea of the commercials content.

 _'Ah yes, I seem to recall...'_

 _"It moves us all, the desire to gather."_ The narrator began speaking. _"We even have a name for it, 'Magical gatherings.' Plan your magical gatherings with your circle of loved ones, at Yippyland's Grand Re-Opening. To get started, call 1-704-D-YIPPY."_

And just like that, the commercial ended as soon as it began, cutting to another one, but Vert wasn't paying attention to the TV anymore.

"So they've finally finished the new additions and construction around the park," She muttered. "Such a lovely place, I'll have to visit there again sometime..."

As soon as Vert heard her own words, she hurriedly yanked her phone out of her pocket and quickly dialed the number of the newly opened park. This would be her magnum opus of plans.

"Hello? Yes, this is Lady Green Heart. I would like to place an order for a Family Package..."

* * *

The Leanboxian duo of Cave and Chika didn't know what to expect on their visit.

Pictures and posters of characters from anime were displayed on the store's exterior proudly and without shame, the title of Gamers being displayed extra proudly above the entrance. From there, an excited Verna was on the verge of shooting out of her too-big nightgown by the time the duo reached her. Cave grabbed hold of her right hand and gently pulled her to her side. The front of the doorless entrance held booths and a few Otaku-centric citizens decorated in anime-galore. Well-aware of their surroundings but not yet members, Cave only nodded in their direction when their gaze focused on the prominent duo... and then on the little girl in between them.

"Nothing to see here! Move along!" Chika shooed them away, and they scurried into the shop in an almost panicked manner. Verna giggled at the display as they themselves entered the otaku's heaven.

Having been inside the shop a number of times herself, Cave was insightful of everything and anything that could and would be sold in the store. They were only on the first floor, one of eight in total, and already it was like walking into Vert's soul, or at least a part of it. Magazines, CDs and character-related goodness had greeted them, an array of fans prominent in just about every location possible. The atmosphere was colorful and vibrant and, while the presence of two prominent Leanboxian women was enough to turn the heads of newcomers, they were quickly dispelled by both them and more veteran members that didn't want to have to call an ambulance later.

"Hyup!" Verna was suddenly boosted into Cave's arms once more, a safety precaution to insure she wouldn't get lost in the giant crowd. "It seems we will have to find an empty space to settle in, if one is even available."

"No kidding! It's like we're caught in some mosh- HEY! Watch those hands, buster! These goods are for my dearest only!"

"A shame she has never accepted that offer..." Chika growled at her friends snark, but had no choice but to take it in silence. Her wrath would result in civilian casualties otherwise, and that would make Vert a little bit upset.

Definitely just a little.

"Ah, here is a respectable location." said Cave, after elegantly barreling her way through wave and wave of innocent enough civilians. Chika moved out of the way for the ones that fell. A lot of them were boys, so it was understandable from Chika's point of view.

Cave was silently thankful that none of them were dressed like butlers.

Finally, they managed to arrive in the lone spot in the corner that was bare of life in the crowded store. Of course, it was as merchandise filled as the rest of the store, quite spacious too. Mentally, Cave questioned why no one was around this area in particular. It was quite odd.

"..." Silently, she gazed up at the sign above the stock, carefully setting the playful Verna down on the floor as she did so. It was a tinge of a challenge for her to crane her neck up so high, backing up being a non option in fear of being swallowed by the crowd, but she managed to decipher the words.

 _Blade Artistry Offline_

 _'... That would do the job quite perfectly, yes.'_

Nodding to herself, she witnessed Chika squeeze herself out of the hell hole of a crowd panting and on her knees. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes askew and her face covered in a few scratches. It looked like she had escaped from the mother of all wars.

"U-Ugh... cough..." Trembling, her body hit the vinyl floor with a dull Thud. Her face was as green as her hair. "N-Need... medical a-assistance... life... fading a-away... Bleh." She limped, her body motionless and her eyes shut.

"..." Unamused by the display, Cave walked towards her 'injured' friend and swiftly kicked the woman in her rear end.

"Ow!" The greenette squirmed and grabbed her posterior. "Cave, what the fu-"

"Enough." She silenced her. "Now is not the time for your childish shenanigans. We should instead focus on conquering this crowd."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine staying here, thank you very much." Rising from the floor like a zombie from the grave, Chika frowned and folded her arms. "But, uh, you can go ahead if you want to! I'll watch the kid!"

"Kawawa? Kaw... Kew... Kiwi? Food..." Said kid was busy attempting to pronounce a word from a manga she was trying to read... upside down, from her spot near a bookcase in a corner. "Hungry..." Then her stomach growled, and she pouted.

"If you think even for a second I will leave the little one in your grasp, you are very obviously mistaken."

"Well I- WHA, HEY!?" Unfortunately for Chika, she would never get the chance to finish her sentence. Her dear, caring friend Cave had hoisted her by the hem and the collar of her risqué outfit. The Oracle wrangled and wriggled as the redhead performed a few practice swings.

"Your task is to find the nearest Help Desk and inform them of our unfortunate situation." As she said that, Cave closely approached the crowd in front of them. Seemingly taking a hint at what Cave had in mind, her writhing increased. "I wish you the utmost luck in your Quest. Your noble sacrifice will not go unvalued."

"D-DON'T I GET A SAY IN THIS!?"

"I was going to ask if you had any last words, but it seems you have beaten me to the punch. Now then..." With one last swing, Cave launched her friend into the rapid crowd. The Oracle's screams as she landed face-first in the horde were quickly silenced as she was swallowed whole, never to be seen again.

"... Hm." Resisting a smirk, Cave took the time to relax and took a seat next to Verna. Like in most situations, she had been utterly oblivious to the whole exchange as her simple mind was preoccupied with her empty stomach.

 **Grooooowl**... It beckoned for food, as if Verna's crestfallen face wasn't enough of a sign for this. Missing not a single beat, the redhead summoned a bag of chips from her inventory and handed them to the little girl.

"Eat up, little one. I know this is not exactly the healthiest option for you, but..." While she was doubtful, Verna had already ripped the bag open like a hot knife through butter. Greedily, she stuffed her hand in the bag and shoved a handful of chips in her mouth. Cheese was quick to stain her mouth and fingers, but she didn't care in the least.

"..." The most Cave could do was summon a napkin and wipe her cheeks. The little girl squirmed playfully from it, giggling despite her mouth being filled to the brim with Golditos. "Little one, I would recommend swallowing your food. The last thing I would care to do is perform the Heimlich."

"... Mm?" Confused, the Candidate tilted her head to it's side. Her eyes were full of curiosity, Cave's answer came in the form of a ruffle of her hair.

"Worry not, it would be prevented before it could even begin." She was sure of that, at least. _'I've done it to your sister and Chika many times... and sometimes even Lady Neptune.'_ One needed to learn to keep the spoon out of their mouth while swallowing pudding. Cave shuddered just from recalling it.

"Big Sis Cave is nice..." Snapping her out of it, Verna hugged her 'big sister' with her cheesy fingers and, as a result, smeared cheese onto it. "..." And while normally Cave would certainly be put in a miserable mood to have her 10,000C outfit ruined, an outfit Lyrica bought for her many years ago and was dry clean only on top of it, the most she could do in the presence of a child who didn't know any better was sigh.

 _'It is fortunate I always come prepared with an alternate outfit...'_ She had that, at least. However, there was still the problem of Verna and her tendency to hug everything. Placing her hand on top of the young girl's head, she attempted to move Verna at least a few feet from her body.

"Mm." Verna refused, which only made the situation worse for Cave, as she witnessed the little girl climb on her lap and hug her waist. "Mm..."

"..." Cave really had no will to move her after that, so her hand settled on the girls blonde head and petted it.

"Heehee..."

She seemed to like doing that a lot, as of late. That sort of thought really put into perspective just how much she softened up around the little girl, Chika or no Chika. Whether it be some sort of repressed sisterly mechanism finally shown its light, Verna's cuteness conveying to her in a such a way that she had choice but to pet her like a kitten, or maybe the little one had a hidden ability no one knew about, and was using it for her own gain.

Okay, that last one was a bit psychotic of her, but the message still stood that Verna had quite the effect on Cave.

"Big Sis Cave?" Her voice questioned then, turning the redhead's attention to the small form on her lap.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Where'd Big Sis Chika go?" Verna looked around. "She was on the floor, now she's not..."

Cave repressed the urge to chuckle. "She nobly volunteered to scout a safer area for us to reside. Truly brave, she is."

"Big Sis Chika is so cool..." An unprofessional snort from the red-haired woman, but she attempted a dignified response regardless.

"Yes, she is certainly very... something..." The keyword was 'attempted', as the battle-hardened soldier did her absolute best to ensure a laugh didn't escape her lips. She didn't want to publicly humiliate herself on top of looking like a mess.

"Ugh..." Speak of the devil, a war-torn Chika came crawling back to their secluded hiding space.

"Welcome back, Chika." Cave greeted her. The Oracle growled. Following behind her was a Help Desk looking person, who looked somewhat flustered to be in their presence. "Found... someone... Ugh..." The greenette mumbled from the floor.

"I suppose you will be the one helping us." Cave turned her attention to the employee.

She nodded. "W-Well, when the Oracle of Leanbox asks you for help, you can't really say no..." Cave noticed her hands were trembling, possibly out of intimidation of being in front of notable Leanboxians. If Lady Vert actually had joined, it was highly likely that woman would have had a heart attack. "A-Anywho, I know the upstairs is fairly empty. Follow me."

"Of course." Cave hopped to her feet, taking Verna's hand and lifting her up as well. "Come, little one. We are leaving."

"Okay!" Verna followed without question. All Chika got was a soft kick to the thigh as a warning to follow them. She groaned, but got up anyway. Along the way, their guide had to pry her way through the terribly thick group of people to clear a path for them. "E-Excuse me! Please!" She pushed them out of the way like a warrior girl barging her way through an army of bounty hunters.

Honestly, to Cave, it was quite impressive.

Eventually, the group bypassed the flurry of customers and made it to the staircase without incident. The second floor, thankfully enough, was much less crowded than the first.

"Er, let me know if there's anything else I can help with!" The employee offered nervously.

"Thank you, we will if necessary." Cave nodded her way. beckoning the employee to travel back down the dreaded downstairs. She never asked about Verna, though Cave suspected it had to do with her focus on the crowd and her utter nervousness around her and Chika that prevented it from being brought up. Either way, Cave certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Big Sis Cave! All this stuff is so cool!"

The excited cheers of the energy riddled Leanbox Candidate rung loud and clear, turning the heads of the few shoppers that were present on the mostly empty floor. Stoically, meaning in her usual manner, Cave patted the little girl's head and placed a dexterous finger over her lips.

"Hush, little one. Don't attract unwanted attention." She said lowly.

"Sorry, Big Sis Cave..." The little girl whispered, holding what appeared to be a manga volume close to her chest. "But this is all really really super cool!"

Cave tussled the little girl's hair. "Of that, I am aware. Why don't you go and explore for a bit? I will be here with Chika if you need anything."

"Okay!" With that, the little Verna tottered off, though nowhere far enough to escape Cave's hawk vision. Smiling slightly, the soldier sat down on a nearby armchair while she kept her eyes on the Candidate.

"Can we leave already?" The moment hardly lasted, as her dear friend Chika Hakozaki came in with a begrudged expression. She was definitely ready to leave, of that Cave could hold no fault to the Oracle's own.

"So soon? We have only just arrived, yet you want to already leave on the trip you took over in Lady Vert's place?"

"Yeah, I know, but that crowd was just intolerable!" Flailing her arms, the Oracle exhaustedly collapsed on a chair next to Cave's own. "I'd much rather deal with my dearest and her unfortunate procrastination tendencies than spend another second in that damn first floor!"

"Such a bold statement, though I can see where you are coming from." Cave simply nodded. "If you wish to leave, then that is your choice and I will not object, though you would miss out on all of Verna's little moments, and really, isn't that something we all wish to see in the end?"

"Bite me..." Chika grumbled, sinking lower into her seat. "Ugh, now I don't even feel like getting up. Wake me up when we leave..."

"... Very well, then." Cave paid her friend no more mind, while the Oracle shrugged and turned around. By that point, Verna had already come back running to her in an excited manner. "Big Sis Cave! Big Sis Cave!"

"What is it?" Cave leaned forward to see what the child had in store for her.

"This, this!" Verna ran up to her and shoved what looked like a manga volume straight into Cave's face. Amused and curious, the soldier took the book from her and read its cover.

"... LuLu's Odd Escapade?" The title was certainly... unique, to say the least. "Act III: Sunsprinkle... Campaigners..." Very very unique.

"Heehee, that sounds funny!" Judging by her reaction, the little girl hadn't actually read the title, if she even _could_ read, and instead was drawn to it's colorful cover. It depicted a black-haired woman wearing a gakuran and cap that seemed to blend into her hair, her eyes staring off into the heavens as she posed fabulously with a weird spirit thing floating behind her in an equally magnificent pose.

"Hm..." Cave had seen this particular manga in stores before, and she even gave it a few quick glances out of curiosity. _'Speaking from those glances, this is definitely not something a young child should be looking at...'_

"Can I get it?" She asked.

"Erm, why don't you find something less... graphic?" That was the best way she could put it. Verna just looked confused. "I will tell you when you are older."

"Booo..." Verna hunched over and shuffled away. The little girl meekly went back to looking for something to read, pouting all the while. However, she bounced back rather quickly and went back to gliding across the various aisles in search of something that could pique her interest. However, upon watching the little girl moving about so cheerfully, a thought occurred to the SMD soldier, Cave…

' _Most manga these days are meant for teenagers, aren't they?'_

"…"

' _Perhaps it would be wise to keep a closer eye on her,'_ Cave decided. She stood up from her seat and followed after the little Verna, casting a few glances towards the many different volumes of comics all over the place. It was hard to tell what they were about from a simple glance, but just going off the aesthetic alone, they definitely looked to be geared towards a teen audience.

Trying to find something suitable for children here would probably be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Directing her gaze back to the stairway, Cave wondered if she should call for the clerk from before, but before she could entertain the idea any further, something caught her eye.

She walked a bit closer to a certain aisle and got a closer look. There, on one of the racks was a book with a very distinct cover. It was of a little boy with a monkey tail, holding a bo staff while riding on the back of a green, serpentine, horned dragon. The soft lines that made up the boy's body contrasted quite heavily with his wild and spiky hair. However, it gave off a more unique vibe from most of the other comics Cave had seen thus far, so she decided to take a look for herself.

Immediately, Cave was taken aback by the simple comic. The artwork was very expressive, and it was surprisingly easy to hop from page to page. It had such an interesting quality to it that was hard to describe. It made the redheaded wonder if there were any other such manga like this that she was missing out on. However, her thought was cut short when an excited Verna came back, tugging at her dress, looking as cheerful as ever.

"Big Sis Cave! I think I found something!" The young blonde excitedly held up a new comic, except instead of muscular men posing like fashion models, it was some… blonde midget girl with a bear hood… thing…? "I like this one!" Verna chirped.

"Hm… I suppose it could work," Cave mumbled aloud, focusing on the volume. "If you don't mind, do you think I could have a look at it, just to make sure it's nothing too… over-the-top?"

"Sure!" Verna agreed. However, as she reached up to hand Cave the volume, she noticed the one Cave was holding and immediately took an interest. "Big Sis Cave, what's that?" she asked, pointing at the comic Cave was holding.

"Oh, this? It just happened to catch my eye, so I decided to give it a look. Would you like to-"

"Yeah, yeah!" Cave didn't even get to finish as the little girl swiped the book from her grasp and started diving into it at a lightning-fast pace. The girl was rapidly plowing through pages in seconds, to the point that it almost made Cave feel a bit dizzy just watching. "Ooh!" Verna quickly went starry-eyed, seemingly caught in the comic's magic. After a few more seconds, she finally looked back up, somehow even more excited than she was a moment ago. "Can I get this one, too?!"

"As you wish, little one," Cave said with a smile, to which Verna instantly responded in kind by leaping into Cave's stomach and wrapping her arms around the older woman, almost causing her to fall on her butt.

"You're the best, big sis Cave!" the little blonde cheered.

"..." Cave stopped for a second to consider what to say next, but looking at Verna's smiling face, she decided to keep her lips shut for the time being. Instead, she opted to give the girl a soft pat on the head while she enjoyed the moment.

Despite how draining it could be to look after a such a young child, Cave couldn't help but let out a content sigh. Moments like these definitely made it worth all the hassle.

"Yes, my darling, come to me! My body is ready~"

"..."

"..."

Cave slowly turned her head around, unaware that her hand was slowly rising in the form of a fist.

"Is Big Sis Chika okay?" Verna innocently asked, breaking the awkward silence the sleeping oracle had caused.

"Oh, you needn't worry about her," Cave assured. However, an idea suddenly came to the redhead, followed shortly after by the makings of a wolfish grin. "Speaking of which, I think now would be a good time to wake her up and tell her we've finally found a good comic so that we can go home."

"Yay!"

"But first… Do you happen to have a marker on you, little one?"

"Huh… I think so, but why do you-"

"You'll see soon enough,"

* * *

"Honestly, if I had known it would have been _that_ busy, I would've gotten somebody to drive us!"`

Chika's complaining hadn't stopped even after they had long left _Gamers_. For Cave, it was especially draining having to listen to her friend moan and groan during the elevator ride up to the Basilicom's apartment complex, also known as Lady Vert's home.

"... Heehee." To her right, a little girl known as Verna was repressing her urge to laugh. She hid behind Cave's fancy skirt, holding her hand over her mouth as she grinned from ear to ear. Chika glared at her, though her expression was confused.

"Why does she keep laughing? What's so funny?" She asked, though her redheaded pal wasn't about to explain that to her.

"You will see…" She looked off to the side, repressing a grin of her own while Chika stared at her puzzledly.

 **Ding.** "We are here." The door opened, and the trio made themselves home to the empty living room.

"Where's Big Sis?" asked Verna.

"My guess is that she is still working." answered Cave, leading the younger Verna to the couch. "Sit here and watch some cartoons. Chika will retrieve your big sister for you." She turned to her green-haired friend. "Isn't that right, Chika?"

"I was gonna do it anyway, sheesh." The Oracle waved her off as she took off into the long hallway. Cave sighed, and sat herself on the couch with the little girl, grabbing the remote to turn on the television for her to watch.

"Heheh! Big Sis Chika looks funny!" Verna giggled.

"Indeed she does," Cave agreed. Immature as it may have been to do that to her long-time friend, Chika should be grateful Cave hadn't done anything worse. "Ah, this looks like a good one." Forgetting about Chika for the time being, Cave soon found what looked like something Verna might enjoy. "Does this look to you, little one?"

"Ooh, what is it?" Verna asked, her interest piqued. The show in question seemed to be about a wandering samurai with a magical sword on a quest to slay an evil being with an obsession with… pizza? Well, whatever the case, Verna seemed interested as she leaned forward to eagerly watch the samurai's journey. "So cool…"

"Yes, samurai are very cool," Cave agreed wholeheartedly. "They follow their own code of honor and use katana to fight off their opponents."

"Uh… What's a ka… ku..."

"Katana. It is a kind of sword, little one," Cave explained. "They are very sharp, and it takes a great deal of effort to create them, but the effort is well worth it."

"Oooh!" Verna's eyes went full sparkle mode, awed by the magic of the katana. "Can I have one?! Big Sis says I'll have to learn to fight one day, do you think she'll let me have one, Big Sis Cave?"

"Now, now, no need to be in such a rush," Cave stated. "There are many different kinds of weapons, like bows, spears, staves, and many others. When the time comes you should pick one you think suits you best; for me it was my scissor blade, for your sister it was a spear. I do wonder what you'll pick when the time comes, though."

"Eh…" Verna's eyes widened even further, if that was even possible. She was practically oozing sparkles now. "I din' know there was so many…" Verna mumbled in awe. "Big Sis Cave, Big Sis Cave, can you teach me how to use it? Can you teach me when I pick one?"

To this, Cave chuckled. "I will see what I can do."

"Yay! You're the best!" Once again, the young Verna jumped in for a hug. Except this time, Cave let herself fall back on the couch, perhaps a bit too drained from the day's events to try and fight back against a child with boundless energy.

"I hope I can live up to your expectations of me, then." At that, Cave said nothing more, allowing herself to sink back, all the while the cartoon from before had cut to a commercial as the two relaxed... Or at least, she would have, if not for the scrolling banner near the bottom of the screen catching her attention.

 _Breaking news: Rumors of an unidentified shadow lurking near the north woods of Leanbox have been sighted recently. Possible new monster, or just another hoax? Whatever the case, please exercise caution when going out at night._

And just like that, it had gone as soon as it came.

"Hm…"

"I found her! Well, _most_ of her." A familiar voice broke their moment, and not too later did Chika Hakozaki come back with Vert… who had dozens of pieces of paperwork stuck to her body in an almost comical manner.

"So… much… work… Ugh…"

"Big Sis!" Verna jumped off the couch and ran up to hug her sister. "Les' watch funny samurais! Come on!"

"Er, of course…" Vert wasn't entirely there as Verna pulled her towards the couch.

"Yes, watch it with us. It is quite enjoyable." Cave moved over to make room for the CPU, with the littlest Candidate sitting on her lap the show.

"I'll start dinner." Chika retreated to the kitchen to prepare whatever food she had on the mind, leaving the three alone to watch cartoons.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"WHO THE HELL DREW A MUSTACHE AND GLASSES ON MY FACE?!"

* * *

 **Editors Note: After an almost 3 month absence, A Verdant Breeze has returned, re-edited and re-furbished for your viewing pleasure! With the help of some friends, chapter 6 to 11, which are now chapter 6 to 9, went through a massive editing overhaul because, admittedly, these chapters had turned out kind of... shit and, since a few of them were planned to be longer, they were melded with each other which results in the chapter count taking a dip, but hey, quality assurance.**

 **This note will be copied from this chapter to chapter 9, just to avoid confusion to the people that see A Verdant Breeze back on Page 1. Enjoy!**

 **-Yuri**


	10. Trip To Yippyland! What's That Shadow?

_"Collect your things, my dear sister! We're going on a trip to Yippyland!"_

Vert remembered that exchange so vividly. The elation and joy emanating from little Verna, the horror and panic from Chika and the silent stoicism from Cave. Their reactions couldn't have been further apart, but their destination was the same. A children's theme park, the perfect place for her darling little sister to have the time of her life!

 _In theory._

Honestly, it wasn't _as_ bad as Vert was expecting the fallout of such an announcement would be. Sure, there were definitely some serious downsides...

 _"15,000 credits_ _ **per person**_ _!?"_

… Incredibly _wallet-destroying_ downsides, but that could be just her nitpicking, right? Being a CPU meant having large sums of credits available when it was most convenient, but that fact was exactly why her Oracle was so horrified to begin with. That is, if you knew Lady Green Heart as well as Chika Hakozaki did.

"Dearest, I still think this is a horrible idea..." They stood outside of a large golden gate, their entrance blocked only by the absurdly long line of citizens that had the same ideas and goals as Vert did. The greenette stood by her side, wearing a very worried expression while she frowned at the CPU. "Companies like this live to empty your savings account! Let's flee while we still can!"

Vert sighed. "Chika, you are being very melodramatic." She gave her a disapproving look. "We have made it this far, we are not turning back now."

"But-"

"Big Sis Chika looks mad..." Verna spoke up, who had remained cloaked by Vert's skirt. She looked up at her older sister, her eyes wondering. "Why is Big Sis Chika mad?"

"Not mad, just... concerned, kid." Chika reasoned with the little girl. "This place is pricey enough as it is, and everyone knows how terrible Vert is with-"

"Adjsdbjfdsk!" Vert hastily lurched forward and slammed her hands over the Oracle's troublesome mouth, nearly knocking them both over in the process. "Don't! Not in front of everyone!"

Chika grumbled angrily under her palm, until realizing everyone had directed their collective gaze on their little trio. A quick glare from the oracle was enough to fix _that_ , however.

" _Yes, I know_ , but she is still so young!"

She grumbled some more.

"Let me have a few years of bliss, you!"

"Big Sis and Big Sis Chika are weird..." Verna spoke up during the shenanigans, which made the two women face fault on the hard concrete floor beneath them.

 _"C-Children are so brutal..."_ mumbled Vert sadly.

"Anyway." Chika was the first on her feet, dusting herself off while Vert remained on the concrete floor. "This is still a bad idea, regardless of the excessive spending!"

"T-Think of this as a learning experience, Chika..." Vert rose from the ground, smiling, if a bit forced. "If not now, then when? This will certainly be a memory that our dear will not soon forget."

"I wanna see the goofy doggy!" Verna bounced excitedly. "He looks funny, heehee!"

"Of course we can see the doggy, my dear." Vert patted her head, not noticing the scowl her Oracle was wearing. "Now then, it appears that the line was thinning..." True to her word, they were ever closer to Yippyland's gates, to a massive looking castle just beyond it. Verna hopped up and down.

"Les' go, les' go!"

"Why did Cavey abandon me..." Chika grumbled under her breath.

"Melodramatic, Chika."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Despite the large number of people around, the line actually moved along at a decent pace. It was actually quite a shock to both the oracle and CPU, but it began to make more sense once they got to the front of the line.

"Welcome to Yippyland, how many tickets will it be today?" a very cheerful brunette woman asked, waving a hand in greeting. "Oh, goodness! Lady Green Heart! And Lady Chika!"

"Yes, hello," Vert greeted back. "We saw that the park was finally reopening, so Chika and I decided to drop by for a little visit."

"I see. It's an honor to serve you, Lady Green Heart!" The brunette gave a short, respectful bow to the CPU before getting back into serious mode. "So I take it you'd like 2 tickets, then?"

"Actually, 3," Vert corrected. "2 adults, 1 child."

"Child?" the woman asked. She tried to lean forward to see if she could get a look at said child, but since the girl was clinging to Chika's leg - while said oracle tried to pry her off - all she could make out was a head of messy, golden hair.

"W-well, you see, it's a bit complicated, but um…"

"It's all right. I'm sure you must have your reasons, Milady," the woman gave Vert a knowing smile before grabbing the 3 tickets. "Now then, we're actually having a bit of a special offer going on right now. For an extra 3,000 credits, you will receive 2 family meal tickets. You can redeem them at any restaurants found at the park, and you can use them whenever you'd like as well."

"That does sound tempting… What do you think, Chika?"

"I'd rather not spend any more money than nece-"

 _ **Gwwwooo!**_

Chika's face turned a bright crimson from the sheer embarrassment. She glanced down towards her belly, eyes quivering. "You know what, that actually sounds lovely," was all Chika could say. The sound of stifled laughter could be heard from everyone present, including Verna.

"Very well," Vert said to the worker after a second of chuckling to herself. "We shall take you up on that offer."

"Excellent, that'll be 40,000 credits, please."

"Very well then… Wait, isn't that…"

"No need to worry about it, Lady Green Heart," the woman interrupted. "Just think of it as a small thank you for all you and your oracle do for us on a daily basis… And besides, I'm pretty sure my boss would flip if she found out I made the Goddess of Leanbox pay full price for all this."

"Oh, I see," Vert said. "Well, thank you very much, I suppose."

"Darling, can we please move along, my leg is falling asleep," Chika chimed in.

"Ah yes, here you are." Vert handed the proper amount of credits to the brunette worker, to which she was given the 3 park and 2 meal tickets.

"Thank you for visiting Yippyland, please enjoy your stay," was all the woman said before the trio were being guided through the gate and into the park proper.

Once they'd finally gotten inside, Chika let out a big sigh of relief. "Well, that was… definitely something," she said.

"That was much faster than I anticipated," Vert muttered aloud. "I can't say I was sure what to expect, but that was much smoother than I could have anticipated." She directed her sight back to the gate, surprised to see how efficiently all of the workers were guiding people through. It was quite the sight to behold. "It seems they have some very good workers here."

"Yeah, no kidding," Chika agreed. "Well, I guess they kind of have to be, since the park only just reopened its doors after a few months hiatus."

"I suppose so," Vert commented.

"Wow…" The two women were quickly snapped out of their conversation by young Verna's voice. The little girl came to a stand-still, stopping to admire the sheer majesty of where they were. The 3 were standing in the middle of a long road made of stone, decorated with several cherry blossom trees along the sides. Off in the distance, there was a large castle standing proudly in the heart of it all, off to the side, there was a massive ferris wheel and an equally tall roller-coaster, and to the other side were even more attractions of all kinds to be seen, dotting the beautiful grasslands the park was built upon.

The sight of it all was almost dizzying.

"Dear Goddess, they _really_ put in a lot of work into the place!" Chika remarked. "I've seen pictures of the place, but it's a whole different beast when you're seeing up close."

"Agreed. And here I thought I'd properly prepared for our visit, but now it feels as though that was impossible from the get-go."

"Haaaahhhh~" And while Vert and Chika were busy trying not to be overwhelmed, Verna was doing her darndest to reign in her excitement. "I WANT TO GO ON THE RIDES!" She failed, but she tried nonetheless. Before Vert and Chika could realize what was going on, Verna had already taken off like a bolt of lightning, running towards the nearest ride she could get to. The two older women almost panicked, but thankfully, it wasn't all that far away, and even more importantly, there was a certain familiar face there as well to ease their worries.

"Verna! Please wait up! Oh dear, this could prove to be… Is that… Blossom Aisen?" Vert wondered aloud as she got closer. Near the entrance to the spinning teacups was a lone blonde woman standing near the rails, wearing a very fancy dress, her eyes directed at a specific ride. Yes, it was none other than the Planeptune native, Blossom Aisen.

"Hm? Did someone call my… Ah! Lady Vert!" Upon hearing her name called, the blonde thespian turned to wave at the approaching Vert. It was around then that she also noticed a much smaller blonde running in circles around the line to the ride. "Such an energetic little one… She looks familiar somehow…"

Before Blossom could think any more on the little girl's appearance, Vert and Chika had finally arrived, panting and out of breath. "H-Hello, Blossom…" Vert greeted in between breaths. "It is… A pleasure to see you… again."

"Likewise," Blossom returned. "I have not seen you since I last visited Leanbox over a year ago."

"That long ago…?" Chika asked aloud. "I guess that makes sense… By the way, what are you… doing here?"

"Simply put, Lady Histoire asked me to come," Blossom began. "From what she told me, Lady Uzume saw the latest commercial regarding the park's grand reopening and was overwhelmed with excitement and practically pleaded with everyone to go with her. Lady Neptune also believed it would make for a perfect bonding experience, so I was asked to come along to keep an eye on them."

"Ah… So Neptune did come," said Vert as she finally caught her breath. "I take it she brought Nepgear and Big Neptune as well?"

"As well as Mr. Umio," Blossom added.

"Sounds like a chore," Chika chimed in.

"Not at all," Blossom corrected. "As it just so happens, I didn't have anything to do today, and I actually quite enjoy spending time with Lady Neptune. She and her friends are a very energetic bunch. But that aside..." Blossom turned her attention to the young blonde girl. "Who is that little girl?" Vert and Chika gulped. "She looks a lot like..."

"Ah… Well, you see…" Vert looked to Chika, hoping for some kind of help. The oracle only looked away, sweating bullets. _"Chika…"_ Vert muttered under her breath, when suddenly an idea came to her. "Ah, you see that little girl is actually-"

" **WHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!** "

" **WWWWWWHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!** "

The 3 women turned their attention skywards… Only to witness what looked like a flying, purple comet, with a small splotch of red. The sound of boisterous laughter could be heard as they zoomed by, coupled with a young woman and adult man screaming, one undoubtedly Nepgear, and the other most likely Umio.

"..."

"Uh… What just… Um, B-Blossom, are you all right? You seem a little-"

"I think I should get going now."

"G-Good idea."

Without another word, the fancily dressed blonde took off running in the direction of the purple meteor with a _very_ panicked expression.

"How the hell did they-"

"I think it's best if we don't question these things, Chika," Vert interrupted. "It's Neptune, that is all the explanation I need. More importantly..." The blonde CPU finally looked back to the younger blonde, Verna. "Verna!"

"Huh?" As if being snapped from a powerful hypnosis, Verna looked around with all the confuzzlement of a confused bird. After a second, her eyes settled back on her older sisters, both giving her a very stern expression. "Oh… Hi, Big Sis! What's up?"

"What's up? _What's up?!_ "

"Now, now, Chika. Let's try not to get so worked up here."

"But she just-"

"I am aware. But even so, she is still just a child," Vert explained. Though still annoyed, Chika piped up and let Vert take over, but not before crossing her arms and pouting in defiance. "Now then… Verna, I understand you are excited, but you cannot go off on your own like that." Vert scolded. "It would be very bad if we were to get separated from each other, do you understand?"

"Y-Yeah…" Verna lowered her head, looking sad. "I'm sorry, Big Sis…" On top of that, she sniffled.

" _Are you serious with that-"_

"Hush, Chika!" Vert shushed her Oracle, and hugged Verna. "It is alright, my dear. Just don't do it again."

"Okay… can I go in the tea cups now?!" She bounced back from that bout of sadness very quickly, and instead bounced forward towards the giant, frighteningly fast spinning tea cups, sans the one a certain Goddess and her entourage had gone flying out of...

Vert wore a nervous smile. "E-Er, perhaps it is best we-"

"I wanna go, I wanna go!"

"V-Verna, dear, did you not just see-"

"I wanna go, I wanna go!"

"B-But-"

"Wanna, wanna!"

The more Vert tried to argue with her, the louder her sisters ' _wanna wannas_ ' rose in volume. She felt nervous, rightfully so, and Chika wasn't looking much better there.

"I-"

"Next in line, please!" An employee woman called out, seemingly ignorant to the missing ride part, as well as the other people who were already getting on the stopped ride.

"W-Well, I think this is a good time to just walk away from this ride and choose something much more safe and accustomed for-"

"KID, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Chika's shrill voice interrupted Vert's potential monologue, and both of them were drawn to the line that now had a little, excitable addition to it. They both ran towards her, panicked and infuriated. "You get back here right-"

"Oh, hello Lady Vert, Lady Chika!" The employee greeted them both with an upbeat tone. "Right this way, please!"

"Wait, but- AH!" Both Vert and Chika were shoved into the circular structure by impatient customers looking for a thrill, and were forced into a green colored tea cup where, oddly enough, Verna was already waiting for them and bouncing happily in its containment.

"Yay! Les' go, les go!" She nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement, while the Oracle was horrified by the situation she found herself in.

"O-Oh dear, I was not made for this…" Chika was clutching her stomach already, and in the midst of doing that, another employee made herself busy by helping everyone into their drink-related seats.

"Please keep your hands, arms, legs and other unidentifiable appendages inside the teacup at all times." Announced the employee from the outside with a microphone in hand. "Yippyland is not directly responsible for any disfiguring mutilations or unfortunate loss of limbs as a result of violating these warnings. Have a nice ride!"

"You know, I used to have trouble getting used to my flight speed in HDD. For once, I am glad that I had the chance to acclimate to that level of speed..." Vert had that, at least, to comfort her. _Chika_ , on the other hand…

"Kid, for the love of all that is holy, _keep your hands off that wheel!_ " Her Oracle panicked, for lack of a better word, as her hands grabbed the wheel that the little girl had been gripping since jumping into the cup.

"Vroom vroom!" Verna made car noises, despite them being in what was the furthest away from a motor vehicle. "I wanna go fast!"

"How about moderately comfortable, kid?" Chika firmly grasped the wheel. "I'd rather not have a heart atta- Oh goddess, we're moving!"

True to the announcer's word, the teacup attraction started moving at a slow, gradual pace. Nothing too fast, mind, but the Oracle was treating it like it was the deadliest thing on the planet.

"Is Big Sis Chika okay?" Verna asked her sister.

"She's fine, just… petrified, I'd say." On the other hand, the Leanboxian sisters were wholly unfazed by the terror that was the spinning teacup.

"Oh… I wanna spin faster, faster!" The young candidate damn near jumped from her seat and onto Chika's lap, grabbing the wheel all the while. "Faster, faster!"

"H-Hey, no! Don't touch the wheel, kid!"

"Too slow, too slow!" Verna ignored her and opted for trying to spin the wheel with all of her little kid might. Of course, Chika wasn't budging one bit.

"I-I said NO, kid! I-I get motion sick easy!"

"But I wanna gooooooo!"

"M-Moderately comfortably is always a fun time, you know! H-Hey, stop turning already!"

"... Hm." Vert couldn't help but chuckle at their shenanigans.

"W-What are you- WAIT, DON'T-"

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Verna, somehow, had managed to break Chika's hold on the wheel long enough to turn the sucker at an alarming speed. As a result, the teacup was going at a much more ludicrous rate than the ones around them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chika, obviously, was not a fan of this course of action, but she was far more concerned about holding on to Vert for dear life than trying to get Verna off of the wheel and stop the madness.

"Chika, dear, all I ask is that you refrain from vomiting on me," Vert remarked.

"MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" She didn't hear a darn word she said, it seemed. Verna, on the other hand, was perfectly fine and okay despite spinning their ride at ridiculous speeds.

* * *

Several minutes of that absurdity later, and the sisters of Leanbox sat on a bench not too far from the ride they were just on. Verna smiled happily as she looked at her dangling feet, Vert smiling beside her, while Chika...

" _BWAAAAAAAH!_ Ugh…"

… Well, it was safe to say that she had effectively regurgitated yesterday's lunch into the nearby trash can.

"That was so fun!" Verna jumped up and down from her seat. "Again, again!"

"NO! _BWAAAAAAH!_ "

"Er, I think we should leave the ride be for now, Verna."

"Aw, okay…"

After Chika finished emptying herself of any and all substance in her body, she approached her Lady again with a wobble to her step and her eyes swirling.

"N-Never… again… _Hrp…_ " Chika covered her mouth. "C-Can we go on a ride that's less _vomit-inducing,_ please?"

"I wanna ride on the big rolley coasty!"

"NNNOOOOOOOOO!"

"Now now, calm down." Vert put her hands on Chika's shoulders. "We both know that Verna is too young to ride on those contraptions, regardless."

Chika breathed a sigh of relief, while Verna sulked over on her sister's side. "Booo…"

"Oh, don't be sad, Verna…" Vert kneeled down to her level and patted her shoulder. "There are more than enough rides to enjoy at this park."

"Like what?"

"Like… erm…" Vert cast a quick glance around the park for something to take her sister away from her woes, and her gaze fell upon a glorious-looking, white, castle-esque building with a gold trim, surrounded by a shimmering lake and boats floating around it. Her eyes sparkled.

' _Oh dear, I haven't seen that ride in years…'_ She thought fondly. _'Perhaps she would enjoy it as well as I had…'_ "Verna, look over there!" Vert pointed to the attraction, her sister following her finger. "That shall be our next destination."

"Ooooh, pretty…"

"Yes, very pretty," Vert lifted her sister by her underarms. "And very fun all the while. Shall we, Chika?"

"Of course, dearest," Chika answered with a dry thumbs up. With that said, the trio marched off to the ride.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" remarked the Oracle to Vert, as they neared the entrance. "I haven't been here since that field trip with Cavey all those years ago."

"Yes, I haven't been on this ride since I was Verna's age."

"Big Sis was small?" Verna's eyes widened.

"Yes dear, I was once as small as you are now." Vert chuckled. "Perhaps, one day, you will grow to be as big as your sister."

Her eyes widened even further. "Really?"

Vert nodded. "Really, really."

"Oooooh… Does that mean I'll have big boobies too, sis?"

"Er… I… suppose that isn't out of the question…"

"Yay!" She raised her arms up in celebration, which made Vert sigh.

' _Such innocence,'_ And so, the Leanbox family traversed into the attraction, looking forward to having a good time, free of troubles and worries for the sake of family bonding.

…

…

…

Yeah, if only it was that easy.

It had only took about five seconds for Vert and Chika to realize why they had never come back to this ride...

" _ **~IT'S A TINY PLANET AFTER ALL! IT'S A TINY PLANET AFTER ALL!~"**_

And that was the absolutely mind-numbing and _**inane**_ song that played endlessly during their trip. Chika was grabbing her ears and looked ready to rip them off like a green herself was having a very difficult time herself, but Verna…

"Again, again! Heehee, this song is funny!"

… it was as if she had gone _deaf_ as soon as they entered the attraction. She wasn't bothered in the slightest, which was an enigma in and of itself.

"Ghk… any longer and I may go insane," commented Chika bitterly. "This was a mistake, ugh…"

"J-Just bear with it, Chika…" Vert reassured her with a shoulder pat. "This ride can only last so long, a-and Verna is happy, so that is what matters most."

Chika grumbled and sunk into her seat, her ears turning red with how hard she was plugging them.

"I think we just need to look at the positives of this situation." Vert tried to lighten the mood in her own way. "T-The water certainly looks nice, the day is beautiful and bright, Verna is having a nice time and… O-Oh goodness, what in the world...?"

"I-I don't think this is working!"

"Then we just have to pull harder!"

There was a frozen patch of water, on which two young, very familiar children, were grabbing a hold of someone's legs and trying to pull them out of the icy block. And judging by the white ribbon tied around the person's legs, coupled with the muffled screams coming from beneath the ice that were somehow still audible despite the irritating music, it was _very_ clear who this person was.

"Is that…?" Chika's voice trailed off as she watched the brunette twins trying their hardest to pull the poor victim out of the ice. "How in the world did they-"

"I think it's best if we just let it go, Chika," Vert chimed in. Before too long, their little boat passed right by the twins without them noticing. They were so focused on their ultimate goal, and probably the incessant music, that they didn't even realize someone's boat had drifted right past them. Somehow, the muffled screams almost started to grow even louder; Vert had suddenly started to hope they'd make it to the end before this "individual" was finally freed from the icy prison.

"Yeah, Yeah!" All the while, Verna had somehow gone completely unaware of any of this happening. No, she was busy waving her arms in the air like she just didn't care, like a hyperactive monkey. "Iiiiit's a tiny planet-"

"Oh dear Goddess, it's like nails on a chalkboard!" Chika shrieked, horrified. Verna was… Verna was… "That kid… Is a terrible singer!"

"Ch-Chika, that is very ru- Oh dear, I think she's off by… _Seven_ different pitches," Vert whimpered. It was like listening to a dozen hissing cats all at once. "I never thought I'd say this, but I think I've found someone with a worse singing voice than Neptune! And it's my own little sister!"

"No, I refuse to admit this!" Chika hollered. "Someone related to my dearest can't possibly be this tone deaf!"

"Is that a reference to something? I feel like that's a reference to something."

"Dearest, now is not the time to-"

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

"... Oh, hey, it sounds like they finally got Blanc out of there," Chika casually muttered. Of course, Verna _still_ didn't notice a thing. "Aaaaaand now she's swearing… Again…"

"I didn't think anything could possibly be this loud!"

"Dearest! Are you alright?! You look pale… Oh! I know! Maybe you'd feel better if you laid your head on my lap. I mean, I don't mean to brag or anything, but-"

"Oh my…" Verna singing in front, Chika clamoring into her ears for attention, Blanc cursing in the distance, and the grating music playing all around became like a cacophony of pain to Vert's poor, _poor_ ears. "I can feel my ears bleeding… Losing… will to… go on!"

* * *

"Yes, I would like to request three Megathon Burgers, yes _three_ , and a bowl of fries. Hm? Large, please, and may I ask for three drinks? How about... two lime sodas and a fruit punch. Thank you."

Vert, after ordering from the counter, sauntered back to a table seated by Chika and Verna while holding an ice pack to her ear after the utter decimation to her eardrums. "I have just ordered our food. It should be delivered at any moment." After the mess of the Tiny Planet ride, they decided to take a break at one of the park's restaurants and get something to eat.

Just like the rest of the park, the little food establishment was a very inviting place. A large logo of a cartoony Fenrir was used as the place's logo, holding a slice of pizza. The floors and walls were a checkered brown that was very easy on the eyes, with several tables and chairs of a soft vanilla color. Coupled with the surprisingly large food menu, and the openings in the walls that let some air in, and it was a very lively restaurant to say the least.

"Hungry!" Verna stated simply, wearing a red Yippyland cap Vert had bought the first chance she got, for obvious reasons. The Oracle beside the little girl, though, looked… less than happy.

"Ugh, so much junk food…" Chika's face scrunched up in disgust. "So many calories, it'll _destroy_ your figure, dearest."

"Melodramatic, Chika." Vert sat down next to her eccentric sister, the Oracle's glare hardening all the while. "It is only the one time out of years of healthy eating. I think I am safe."

"As long as you make sure to work it off as _soon_ as we return home!" Chika demanded.

"Yes yes, of course." Vert quashed her Oracles worries. "Calm down, now. It's nothing to stress over."

The greenette huffed, but nonetheless settled down. Vert sighed and rested her ice pack on the rectangular table, though her ears were still scarcely ringing from her experience in that _dreaded_ attraction.

"Hungry, hungry!" Verna had gotten the better end of the stick from their experience, however that was managed, and plainly stated her hunger.

' _At least she isn't singing again…'_

"Order up!" Swift like the wind, a brunette waitress swooped in and dropped off Vert's order with grace and aplomb.

"O-Oh, er, thank you…?" Vert's thanks went unheard, for the waitress had left as soon as she came, likely tending to the many other customers looking for a chance to eat. It made Vert feel a little guilty that she was first served, due to her CPU status, but then again she was _very hungry._

"Yay, food!" An excited Verna almost leapt off of her seat in an attempt to grab the food tray. The keyword being 'almost', since an agitated Chika held her down, as was becoming the norm.

"Don't make me strap a seatbelt to you, kid. You're gonna get your… _food_ soon enough." said Chika in a reprimanding tone.

"Booo…" Verna sulked, though that didn't last long at all when she received her extra large order of food. "Yay!"

"Ugh…" Chika didn't even want to look at the food placed in front of her, though both her and Vert knew she had arrived on an empty stomach, but her stubbornness was strong.. "Do I have to…?"

"It's only one lunch, it's not going to kill you, Chika," said Vert as she ate her 'sandwich' with a pleased look on her face. "At least tolerate it for now."

"..."

To her side, Verna had dug into her food like it was the first time she had ever eaten in three weeks. A mixture of salt, pepper and ketchup was splashed onto her face in an undignified manner, while smiling all the while. "Mmmmm~!"

"..."

Reaching for a napkin, Chika wiped the little kid's cheeks clean, causing her to giggle.

"Heehee…"

"... Tch." Frowning, Chika turned away from the Candidate and began eating her burger. "U-Ugh…" She shuddered in revulsion, which made Vert roll her eyes.

"You act like you're eating poison."

"It _is_ poison, for your body!" she exclaimed. "How is one supposed to keep such an attractive figure like I if you eat this… this _dreck!?_ Ugh, it's so disgusting…"

"Yet, you're still eating it." Vert pointed out, as Chika was stuffing her mouth with fries.

"I-I don't have anything else to eat!" Chika whined. "Ugh, it's gonna take forever to get this salty taste out of my mouth…"

Vert chuckled, and resumed eating her own food. While it definitely wasn't the most delicious thing she had eaten, it would do for the time being, then she could return home and have Chika whip up something _truly_ delicious.

' _I feel the need for a steak dinner…'_ As she was thinking of her options, Vert's ears picked up a voice, no, _two_ voices, that sounded rather familiar… ' _Oh? Don't tell me_ they're _here as well…"'_

"This place is a lot bigger than I thought," a young girl with raven hair said, her twintails flowing in the wind. "And why is there a fan here? Seems kind of odd to leave it out here in the open."

"Who knows, but I guess it's not hurting anyone," the unmistakable voice of Noire spoke. The elder tsundere reached over and made sure to turn the fan off, somehow unaware that Vert was right behind her, watching through one of the openings in the walls. "S-So anyway, what do you think, Uni? It's a pretty nice place, huh?"

"W-Well, I guess, but you really didn't have to do all this for me."

"Nonsense! I-I just figured you're still pretty young and that you might like it here," Maximum tsun incoming in 3… 2… 1… "It's n-not like I wanted to come here or anything. I just figured you'd have a good time, being so young and all. Yeah, I just wanted you to have some fun, Uni."

"Noire…" Uni sighed, giving her sister a sheepish smile that made it clear she didn't believe her for one second. Even so… "Thanks, sis, it's great," she decided to just smile and roll with it; such a kind little sister she was.

"B-But of course. You don't have to thank me, Un-AAAhhh!" So kind she didn't even tell Noire the shoelaces on her boots were untied.

"Sis! Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"..." Vert blinked. "Just let it go, Vert… Let it go," Vert mumbled to herself. "Still, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see all of us have gathered here today… They all seemed to be having fun, as well… Except maybe Noire."

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, d-don't worry about it. I'm fine, r-really… B-But maybe we should go try the submarine ride, I hear it helps put wounds at ease, or something like that."

"..." Now Uni blinked. "W-Well, that does sound nice, I guess."

"Great! Then let's not dilly-dally, come on!"

"Scratch that, she seems to be having more fun than any of us," Vert chuckled.

 **Munch munch munch GULP!** "Yummy!" Verna, the darling little thing, had eaten **all** of her food, down to the clean plate. Smiling a wide smile, her face was messy with condiments and bits and chunks of lettuce and tomato.

"..."

Once again, Chika wiped her face of the mess she'd made, her own plate at least half cleared of its food. "Hasn't anyone taught you proper manners, kid?"

"... No?"

"..." Chika didn't have a good counter for that, as she realized her blunder. "W-Whatever, just let me clean your face!"

"Big Sis Chika is funny!"

"Argh!"

"Hm…" Vert chuckled at their display. "Well, it seems we are all well and full… for the most part." Vert eyed Chika's plate, disappointed. "How are you feeling, Verna?"

"Fine." She answered, her face clean and sparkly thanks to Chika. "I wanna go on more rides!"

"Perhaps you should wait until the food is settled." said Vert with a smile. "We wouldn't want to create a nasty mess on the next ride, after all."

"Aww…" Sadly, Verna sipped her fruit punch.

"Oh, don't fret my sister, we only have to wait for a few minutes." Vert reassured her.

Chika sipped her lemon-lime drink, her face looking slightly less disgusted thanks to it. "It's not the best, but it's better than that filth…" she grumbled.

"Oh, stop Chika. The food was serviceable, don't be rude to the chef."

"Hrm…" the oracle frowned, but did as asked.

"Well, all of this aside, maybe we should head off now."

"Agreed, dearest." With that said, the two adults brought themselves to their feet with their trays in hand. Verna wiggled her way out of the booth, clinging to her drink as she stood by Chika's side.

"... Ugh." Chika leaned over and picked up Verna's tray with her own, only to dump both in the trash moments later. "Let's go, already."

"Right." Vert did the same with her tray and followed her Oracle and sister out of the restaurant. "Where should we go next?"

"Rolly coasty! Rolly coasty!"

"NO!"

"Well, at least they're still full of energy," Vert mumbled to herself. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't dawdle, now should-"

"Hey, did you hear about the shadow?"

"I…?" Vert stop in her tracks. Verna and Chika were making their way out of the restaurant, but the banter from one of the tables caught her interest.

"Oh, come on! It's just a rumor, no way some stray monster could sneak in, this place's security is almost as good as Lady Green Heart's basilicom. Not even a stray fly could get it."

"I know that, but… What if it's true? No security system is perfect, so maybe-"

"Like I said, stop worrying about it. Even if something did get in, it'd only be a matter of time before they found it. Not to mention I heard all the CPUs are here. Might as well be the safest place in the world right now."

"Well… I guess you've got a point there."

"You worry too much. Now come on, I want to get on the log ride before it gets too crowded."

"A shadow…?" Vert mumbled to herself. "Do they mean a monster…? If so, how could any monster ever-"

"Dearest!" Vert almost jumped. She looked around, realizing that it was Chika calling to her, waving her arms while Verna gave her a dopey look like she was confused. "We're leaving, come on!"

"Ah, yes. Be right there!" Vert called back. Finally, she stepped out of the restaurant and stepped back out into the sun. She quickened her pace to catch up with her oracle and sister, trying to take her mind off what she'd just overheard. "I'm sure it's nothing importa- Ah! Verna! She fell down! Chika, find a bandage, quick!"

* * *

The rest of the day had gone by without incident.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY ELEPHANT!"

If 'without incident' meant Chika screaming at the top of her lungs while her elephant cart was spinning around and around, _up and down_ on top of it due to Verna taking helm of the controls once again.

"WHEEEEEE!" Speaking of, Leanbox's youngest was having the time of her life on the eccentric ride. While Vert… well, Vert was doing her best not to give her food back to nature. She was used to high speeds… Just not so much the unnecessary amounts of twisting and turning every few seconds.

' _P-Perhaps I should have waited a little longer… Urp…'_ Vert's face was as green as her dress, and with her sister taking control of the rides motion, it certainly wasn't helping her sickness a single bit. Their ride had felt like it was going _much_ faster than it seemed, but that may have been because of her lingering sickness. She very much wanted to believe it was the latter, as she rested her head on elephant's ear.

' _P-Please let it be over soon… O-Oh Goddess…'_

"FASTER FASTER!"

"NOT AGAAAAAAAAIN!"

* * *

The next ride was much tamer in comparison. A calm, submarine trip through water that Vert herself could relish in its tranquility, while her sister sat on her lap and peeked out the window.

"Oh! Look at all the fishies!" Verna pointed at the cartoony looking sea animals. Clown fish, blue fish, sea turtles, manta rays…

… A freakishly scary looking young girl holding bags of _upside down_ fish as she swam through the water…

Discluding the last one, it was a very calm, relaxing atmosphere for Vert, and probably for her darling sister as well. Nothing like traversing through the ocean's dark and mysterious depths to soothe the nerves.

' _Everything has, for the most part, been going so splendidly. Has Celestia finally taken pity on me and shown mercy? No, I must not jinx it, just enjoy your dear sister, Vert."_

The day sure had its up and downs, but for Vert, it was a success in her book. For once, she could truly say she was bonding with her little sister, and that made the Goddess happy.

"Dearest, this shark's smile is very much unsettling me…"

"Oh, sharky!"

"J-Just pay attention to the other fish, you two."

* * *

"Wheeeeee! We're so high up!"

Verna was enjoying herself once again, on the classic ferris wheel with the face of a cartoon mouse plastered unashamedly on it's front as it shone brilliantly. Vert enjoyed the spectacle with her sister, while Chika…

"G-Get me off of this death trap!" … she was positively _shaken_ while riding the wheel with them. Vert, admittedly, had negated Chika's crippling fear of heights, and thus the Oracle gripped onto her dear Vert for comfort. "H-Hold me, dearest!" Gripped onto her _chest_ would be more accurate, however.

"I-It's fine, Chika. Nothing of harm could possibly-"

"Wowy! Look at all the pretty birds! I wanna touch theaaaaAAAAAAAAA!" Verna, while trying to reach over and pet the 'pretty birds', had went a bit too far over the railing and fell off.

" _ **VERNA!"**_ And so, Vert activated HDD and swan dived out of the cart to catch her falling sister.

"Dearest you didn't wait for me to LET GOOOOOOOOO!" And Chika joined her on the descent.

Such a caring family.

* * *

The ride after that… _unfortunate_ experience was rather whimsical. It was dimly-lit and filled to the brim with zany creatures. Talking doorknobs, bubble-puffing caterpillars, a mischievously grinning cat and a mad hatter singing about unbirthdays.

Overall, a crazy time, and it served Verna well after almost becoming a red splotch on the boardwalk. Their ride was slow and deliberate, which helped them take in the bizarre atmosphere.

"Heehee, all these thingies look funny." She giggled. Vert patted her head.

"Yes, very funny." Vert held her close as they spectated.

"Dearest, is that heart queen supposed to mean something?"

"Just look at the walking cards, Chika."

* * *

"WHEEEEEE! SO FAST!"

Verna seemed to be a real stickler for fast, intense rides. Their next ride was something that looked like something out of the wild west. One big railroad smack dab in the middle of a mountain desert setting, of which they were traveling through at a good 85 MPH.

 _Unusually_ fast for a children's ride, mind. In fact, was this ride even safe for children…?

"A-Ah, how are you so resilient, my sister?" Vert was hanging onto the guard rails for dear life while their ride sped through, so she didn't have time to think about that. Her Oracle was much the same, except she hung onto her body instead of the rails.

"Protect me, darling! These rides are going to be the death of me!"

"D-Don't be so rash, Chika! It's just a children's ride!"

"I wanna go faster, faster, faster!"

"W-What's wrong with moderately comfortable, you!?"

"C-Can we please simmer down? At least enjoy the view of the canyon while we can- OH DEAR AN INCLINE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"WHEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

After the fifth ride, the trio finally settled down a bit, and found themselves walking along the brick roads that decorated the park. They were planning to stop by the place they'd gotten lunch at before, and found themselves nearing a very beautifully made bridge on the way. Finally, after a bit of walking, they decided to stop there to collect themselves.

"Okay… Okay… Let's just aaaaall settle down for a minute," Chika gasped, thoroughly exasperated from all the chaos she'd just been through. By now her hair was a bit disheveled, and her legs were more than a little shaky; a light breeze would probably be enough to knock her over at this point.

"Oh, relax Chika," Vert said nonchalantly. "I'd say the worst is behind us now… Probably." Taking out a map of the park she'd picked up along the way, Vert inspected it very closely. In doing so, she gave a small smile. "It seems that we've already been to most of the hectic rides already, so I doubt we'll have to worry about losing our lunch anymore."

"Thank goodness." And while Chika sighed in relief, Verna frowned a little at the news.

"Aw." The little blonde pouted. "I want to go on the really fast, fun rides!" she whined.

"I'm sorry, Verna," Vert began softly. "But please, do understand that there's nothing we can do about that. Besides, too many crazy rides would be off-putting. You need something a little more calm every now and then as well."

"Mmmm…" Verna was still pouting, but for a different reason this time. "Mm… Okay…" The energetic little girl finally said, letting her arms droop to the side. However, a quick pat on the head from Vert was enough to bring the girl's spirits back up in an instant.

"Don't worry, there are plenty of other fun places we can go."

"Mmm."

The two sisters smiled at one another, leaning in for a quick hug. Needless to say, but Chika was more than a little jealous at the sight, pouting at the two and crossing her arms defiantly… That is, until she realized something that made her eyes widen ever so slightly and look at the two a little more calmly, if still a bit annoyed.

"Hmm... I guess I should've seen this coming," the oracle muttered to herself. "Who'd have thought it would take going to a theme park for it to finally happen, though… Who says you can't be a good big sister?"

Though still a bit jealous, Chika let herself ease up a bit more, her eyes glued to the two blondes… At least until something else caught her attention. Faint traces of humming, getting a bit louder. It was clear that Vert had caught wind of it, too, as she let go of her little sister to take a look over the rails of the bridge, alongside Chika. What they saw… Was uh… Very unexpected to say the least.

A small swan boat was floating along the water with two purple-haired passengers drifting lazily along. "Is that… Why are they…?"

Neptune and Neptune were sitting in a little swan boat, drifting along with their eyes closed, holding each other like a close couple. "When did _this_ happen? ...Ah!" Chika wondered aloud, suddenly recalling something from before. "Come to think of it… Back when I was having a "talk" with her about the bathroom, she did say…"

"Oh…? Oh! ...Oh, I see…" Vert didn't actually see. "Well… I suppose we should be happy for them…? I'm not actually sure what to say for once..."

"..."

"Chika?"

"...Heheheh…"

"Chika, are you alright?" Vert asked, unaware of the thoughts going through the oracle's mind.

"I'm fine," she said. Little did Vert know that raunchy images of the green CPU getting intimate with her other dimension's self danced through the oracle's mind. "I'm perfectly… fine."

"Well… If you say so." Finally, Vert turned away from… Whatever was going inside of Chika's head, not to mention the two Neptunes, and faced her little Verna once again. "Anyway, Verna where would you like to… Verna? Verna?!"

Vert's panicked voice was more than enough to break Chika out of her little fantasy, only for her to turn around and realize that Verna was nowhere to be seen. "The kid…? Where did the kid go?!" The oracle and CPU both frantically began looking in every direction in search of the little girl, but couldn't find any trace of her in sight.

"No, no, not again!" It didn't take a genius to see that Vert was beginning to panic. She started running about, yelling her sister's name into the air, not really caring if anyone heard her. Chika followed shortly after, and the two made haste to look for the little girl.

All the while, their screams had attracted the attention of the two purple-heads enjoying their little cruise. The two looked back, curious as to what was going on, before giving each other a look and nodding. Without hesitation, they jumped out of the boat and went after Vert.

"Ah, be careful you don't fall into the water. Wouldn't want to get your shoes wet, would we?"

"Aw, you're so considerate of me, Me."

"Anything for you, Me."

"... You have pretty eyes."

"... So do you."

"..."

"..."

"Verna!"

"Wha? Oh, right, Vert!"

"Uh, y-yeah! I totally didn't forget or anything! Hahah…"

* * *

"Is that…"

"Is that what?" Verna wondered aloud, a little confuzzled. The little girl was too short to see over the rails on the bridge, so she didn't know what was going on. It sounded like someone was humming, but since she couldn't see, she didn't know who. "Sis, what's-"

 **Plick**

"Eh?" Suddenly, there was another noise to her side that caught Verna's interest. She turned to investigate it, it had been the sound of a little rock being kicked away, but that wasn't what caught little Verna's interest. "Aaaaahhh…"

Right at the end of the bridge, a little brown bunny was wagging its floppy ears. It raised its head and started sniffing the air with its tiny, pink, button nose, until it caught sight of the enamored Verna. The tinier creature stared at her with little beady eyes, blinking at first, before quickly losing interest and hopping away.

"Ah!" Surprised, Verna followed after the fuzzy creature. "Come back, Mr. bunny!"

Had Vert and Chika only stopped to turn around for a moment, they would have noticed Verna was moving away from them, however, no such luck. It was only a matter of seconds before Verna was long gone and separated from her two caretakers. She did eventually catch the bunny, but…

"Got ya!" She grabbed the little creature, lifting it up gently. "Don't worry, Mr. bunny, I won't hurt you," the girl assured, even though the bunny couldn't understand her. "You didn't have to run away like that. Oh… I wonder if Big Sis would let me keep… You…"

Finally, Verna had started to settle down, and it was only then that she realized where she was. Without even realizing it, she'd run towards the entrance of some attraction she hadn't seen before. Behind her was an open steel gate, in front of her was some kind of minecart ride. However, unlike all the other rides, there was something about it that just…

 **THROooom!**

"Ah!" Verna jumped, looking up into the sky. Dark gray clouds had begun to cover the sky, bringing with it a new problem. "Oh no…" Verna whined, her features settling into a frown. "It's gonna rain… But… But I have to get back to sis…"

The girl looked behind her, towards the gate that lead into the odd attraction. She wanted to weigh her options, but the feeling of a little droplet of water splashing on on her nose made the decision for her.

"Ah… Oh no… Ah, I'm sorry, Big Sis!" Verna cried out. Having been left with no choice, she ran forward, bunny held firmly in hand to avoid getting wet. "Don't worry, Mr. bunny, I won't let you get wet!" she declared, running directly into unknown territory.

Had she stopped to look around for a second, she might have realized she was practically walking into a lion's maw.

"Hhhhhmmmmm? Do I have a guest with me today? Oh my… Well, isn't this a surprise! Oh, but where are my manners? I need to go greet them now, don't I? Oh, Inkman, you fiendish devil, you, it's time to knock 'em dead!"


	11. Terror Of Inkman

It was very dark. And very scary.

 _ **BOOOOoooomm…**_

Very _very_ scary.

Once it had started pouring, she ran towards the mine cart ride for shelter. Holding her newfound rabbit friend close to her body, the young girl had slowed her pace once she found herself in dry land, relieved that she had only gotten slightly wet. Rain and thunder pounded like mad outside, resigning the little girl to her shelter under a shelf-looking thing.

"Are you okay, Mr. Bunny?" Verna asked her animal friend. The little animal responded with a quiet, happy-sounding purr, which brought a smile to her face. "You're okay…" **Plop.** She sat down. "That's good, but this isn't… good…"

The attraction had looked less scary from a distance, but now that Verna had some time to absorb the atmosphere, she found herself wishing she had ran in a different direction.

 _Plink… Plink…_

Droplets of water echoed throughout the cave, the shower outside getting increasingly worse by the second. Frowning, the little girl shuffled backwards until she hit a stone wall, which was about as far as she was willing to go.

"Scary…" Verna looked around, seeing nothing but pitch black tunnels, minecarts stopped in their tracks, lights that no longer worked, and worst of all, _creepy_ looking gnomes with pickaxes that stared _right at her_ from above, looking frozen in the midst of whatever they were doing beforehand. "Mmmm…" She closed her eyes and looked away, pretending they weren't there. Her rabbit friend did something similar, covering it's eyes with it's big ears while it shivered in her hands.

"Are you cold, Mr. Bunny? But you got lotsa warm fur, right?" She asked the animal but, of course, it didn't respond. "I wish I had warm fur like yours, Mr. Bunny. I don't have a blankie…"

 _ **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooom...**_ "Eep!" Scared by the sudden noise, Verna jumped and scuttled away from the cave's entrance to somewhere safer. The bunny, startled by the sudden noise, wriggled its way out of Verna's hold and hopped away in a frightened manner. "Wait, Mr. Bunny!" Verna reached out her arm, but the rabbit had already disappeared into the shadows, leaving the child by her lonesome.

"..."

The scary cave looked even more scary then.

"Big Siiiiiis…" She whimpered. "Where are you? Big Sis Chika…" Scared and alone, Verna curled up into a fetal position and hoped that her big sister would find her. "I don' wanna be here anymore…"

 **Tip… Tap…**

Verna shuddered, her eyes shooting open.

 **Tip… Tap…**

It was the sound of footsteps that caught her attention. "Wh… Who…" Verna wanted to speak, but her words caught in her throat before they could fully come out. Even though the rain was still pouring down outside, all the girl could hear was the sound of the approaching footsteps.

 **Tip… Tap… Tip… Tap… TIP… TAP…**

Louder and louder, the sound could drive almost anyone mad. "N-no… No…" The little girl closed her eyes, forcing them shut as tight as she could, the sound of footsteps growing louder in volume. Alone in the dark, Verna whimpered, "Big sis… Help me…"

"Why hello there, little child," an odd voice spoke, cutting through the darkness. Hesitantly, Verna opened her eyes ever so slowly and… "What brings you here?"

"M-Mr. Bunny!" Verna came face-to-face with her bunny from before and- "You can talk, Mr. Bunny?!"

"You mean you never knew?!" the "bunny" asked, sounding almost offended. "Of course I can talk, small child. You will call me Sir Oswald, the rabbit! I have come to this park in search of the finest carrots, but I got lost along the way and stumbled upon a little blonde girl who started chasing me - that's you, by the way - before I could fulfill my mission."

"Wha…?" Verna recoiled in shock. Not only did Mr. Bunny know how to talk, but he even had a name, too! "I'm sorry, Mr. Bu… I mean, Sir Oswald. I didn't mean to… Hey, wait a minute..."

Verna stopped herself mid-sentence, noticing something fishy going on. She hadn't noticed it at first, but as her eyes adjusted to the dark space they were in, she finally noticed it, a pair of arms wrapped around the bunny's belly. "What is it, child?"

Verna felt her body shiver once again, but having her bunny there gave her newfound courage. "Wh-Wh-Who a-are you?!" she finally asked. "Y-You're not Mr. Oswald!"

"Sir!"

"Eep!" Verna shrunk back, suddenly feeling very afraid again.

"Hahahah." However, to the girl's surprise, the mysterious stranger just laughed. After a second of laughing at Verna's reaction, they set the little bunny down on the ground. Instantly, the creature now called Oswald jumped back into Verna's arms, where she held him protectively, while the stranger straightened themselves up and dusted themselves up. "I was wondering when you'd notice little 'ol me."

Verna eyed the stranger warily. She was still shaking, but thanks to Oswald's company, she knew she couldn't let herself stay scared. Despite her eyes adjusting, she still couldn't quite make out the stranger's face, all she could see was the outline of their body. To Verna's surprise, they shuffled back a step, as if sensing the little girl's discomfort.

"Tell me, kid, what are you doing in a place like this?" the stranger asked. The stranger spoke with a very light-hearted voice, sounding almost like an announcer of some kind. At least, that was how Verna would describe it, given her limited knowledge.

"I… I was chasing S-Sir Oswald to make sure he was okay. But, then it started raining, s-so I came in here to wait until it was over," Verna answered truthfully. The shadowy figure raised a hand to its chin, as if mulling something over.

"I see, I get ya. That's quite a pickle indeed, but you know, kid, I don't think it's safe in here," the stranger began, "You never know what kind of freaks and weirdos might be hanging out in a place like this. Besides, you need to get going before-"

 **WWWWHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRR!**

"Eep!" Verna's heart almost jumped straight into her throat as a loud noise cut off the stranger's words. She darted her head around, while the stranger gasped.

"Oh, no! They're coming!"

"Wh-who's coming?!" Verna asked in a panic, holding her bunny a little closer.

"There's no time to explain!" the stranger yelled, sounding far more rattled than even Verna herself. "Quick, kid! We need to go! Now!"

"Wait, what's going on?!" Verna never got her answer. The stranger had already grabbed onto her tiny hands and started pulling her forward with them, moving forward at an alarming pace. Out of curiosity, Verna glanced back to see what was going on, but her heartbeat quickened when that sound roared out a second time. She really didn't want to know what was making that sound, so she tightened her grip on Oswald and kept running, putting her blind trust into the mysterious stranger.

* * *

There was so much promise to be had on this day. What was once a bright, beautiful day fueled by sisterly bonding and cartoon mouses was damaged by Vert losing her sister not once, but _twice._ In the same week, no less!

"She could be anywhere! Goodness me, why did this have to happen now!?" Vert was having a panic attack, or maybe it was more accurate to call it a full blown breakdown. Ever since Verna had disappeared from her sight, she had the mindset to turn Yippyland upside down if it meant she would find her sister.

"Urgh, she's not here either…" After not seeing her anywhere near the Merry-Go-Round, Vert walked away disappointedly. "Where could she be? I've already looked through most of the attractions, and Chika has had no success on her end either…"

It was a completely and utterly horrible time for the CPU. To lose Verna at the height of their wonderful day was dreadful enough, but in one of the most popular park attractions in Gamindustri? Where just about _anyone_ could find her dear Verna and be swept away from Vert? She shuddered at the thought.

"No, I mustn't let myself be blinded by worry…" Finding a wooden bench in front of a fountain, Vert sat down on it and sighed. "It's exactly moments like these where I need to remain calm, but…"

For the big sister that was still getting used to her new role, remaining calm simply was not an option for her. This was _her_ sister. Not Nepgear, Rom, Ram or Uni, but her _own_ blood. She had every right to worry, especially since she was so young. Who knew what sort of dreadful situations Verna could be in at the moment?

"..."

Vert stared at the water fountain, allowing her thoughts to take over as she started reflecting.

' _I am such a fool, to let something like this happen…'_ Vert berated herself, something she had been doing a lot lately. _'I should not have been so careless…'_

She realized she had been making mistakes like this, perhaps not quite as severe, but it did show her failures as a sister in full force. Even Neptune, who had a history of being rather dismissive of her own sister at times, looked far superior to her at the moment.

That was _bad_.

"Hm…" Vert leaned back on the bench, wondering.

' _My sister, I pray that you are safe…'_ Vert could only hope. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two civilians chatting amongst themselves, seemingly ignorant to the Goddess that was sitting just feet from them.

"Ah, my feet are killing me. It feels like I just ran a marathon."

"You're over over-exaggerating. I thought you could handle anything."

"We've been here for, what, 6 hours now? I think I've earned the right to complain a little. Not to mention we didn't even get to check out the mine cart ride; that was always one of my favorites."

"Oh, suck it up, will you? I'm sure they'll open it back up eventually."

"Eventually's not today… Seriously, everything else is up and running, but that one ride is still out of commision! Would it have killed them to maybe wait for it to finish-"

"It's. one. ride. Get over it. Besides, I'm pretty sure it never got much attention."

"Hmph… Your face doesn't get much attention…

"Shut it… Speaking of the mine cart. Did you hear, apparently some people are saying some kid ran in there earlier today."

"For real?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, all I heard is that some little blonde girl was chasing a rabbit, but then she ran inside when it started to rain."

"For real? What kind of moron doesn't pay attention while their kid wanders off? Kid must've come with someone really irresponsible, huh? Did they go after her?"

"Well, some people tried, but… Well, there's a rumor some shadow was around there, too, so everyone's been too scared to go in after her."

"Poor kid. Must be terrified all on her own like that. Think we should go tell the park management?"

"Was about to say, actually. Let's."

"..."

It didn't take long for Vert to practically rocket off the park bench, speed-dialing Chika's number as she dashed towards the closed attraction off in the distance, determination fueling her every step.

' _Hold on just a little while longer Verna, your sister is coming for you!'_

* * *

And so, they ran. They ran as fast as their legs would allow. The stranger had been running so fast that Verna was almost afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up with their pace, but somehow, she managed to not fall behind. Maybe it was out of fear for her own life, or maybe out of a desire to protect little Oswald, but she had run faster than she thought she was even capable of. However, after some time she was no longer able to keep up, and felt herself running out of breath.

Much to Verna's relief, they'd finally come to a stop. She was a bit unsure of where she was, until she caught sight of a lone mine cart standing on the middle of a rail track. To most that would've been an obvious sign that the attraction was out of commission, but to Verna's frightened child mind, she couldn't really put any pieces together beyond "I'm scared! Please help me sis!", in her mind.

"Quick kid, get inside!" Before she could say or do anything, the stranger had pushed Verna towards the lone mine cart, while he ran off to the side; reaching out for something on the wall. Verna did as was told, jumping into the cart while the stranger fumbled around in the dark.

"W-What happening?!" Verna finally asked after finding her voice.

"Just listen to me, kid!" the stranger began, more panicked than before. "You have to go! It's not safe here! And whatever you do, don't look back!"

"Why?! What's gonna happen to you?!"

"..." A beat. The stranger was silent, slowly taking their hands off the wall, they turned to look at Verna and, "Ah, don't worry about it, Kid. I'll be fine." He instantly turned around, as calm as can be.

"...Wha?"

"Now, come on, the fun's about to start!" As if they'd never been blinded by the dark to begin with, the stranger reached out and pulled a switch that had been attached to the wall. Suddenly, the lights all came back on and his true form was revealed for Verna to see. A hooded figure wearing a dark, black cloak that concealed most of their body and face from sight. All she could make out was their cheeky grin as they pulled another lever that made her mine cart start moving.

"Wah!" Verna stumbled in trying to keep her footing. She failed to keep her balance and landed on her bum, but thankfully, Oswald was unharmed. She steadily lifted herself to her feet by grabbing the edges of the cart, but as the cart sped up, it was made all the harder on her tiny body. "I dun like this!"

When just struggling to get to her feet was a challenge, Verna knew she wasn't going to like this. Even more so when she realized the music that had started playing at some point. A wild, hectic piano pounding in her ears. And when she finally got to her feet, she immediately regretted having ever gotten up.

"I told you not to look back!" A loud booming voice greeted her, coming from the body of a bulbous spider-looking creature with very human-like arms. It bounced and shifted around with every movement it made.

"AAAAHHHH!" A scream escaped Verna's throat. Without even thinking, she held her bunny closer, backing away from the abomination until her back hit the other end of the mine cart. She felt herself losing balance again and looked forward; several twists and turns and drops awaited her. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Verna would've normally been happy about this kind of thrill, but not when it was the only thing keeping her from the arms of some kind of giant spider thing. She ducked her head at an oncoming plank of wood and she could swear she felt a whoosh of air pass over her head. "SIS! HELP MEEEE!"

Her screams filled the tunnel as she was forced through loop after loop, with no sign of slowing down. She had gotten some distance away from the freakish spider, but her hope instantly dropped as she found the cart slowing down as it climbed a large upwards incline. The spider clawed its way closer with its almost cartoony appendages, getting closer and closer and-

"Uwah!" All of a sudden, Verna was thrown from cart, violently flying through the air. She flew into a hole in the walls that acted as some kind of shute, where she tumbled about like a ragdoll until she finally got out. And when she did, she was even more confused than before. "Uhhh…"

She was in a hallway from a castle, filled with suits of armor all over the place.

" _ **HUHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!**_ "

A shiver ran up Verna's spine. Slowly, she craned her neck to see… The knights were looking at her with their swords in the air!

" _ **HUHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!**_ "

"EEP!" Not a second too late Verna darted forward, narrowly avoiding the axes that came down. However, it set up a little domino effect. **All** of the knights threw their weapons forward as Verna ran in a panic. Swords clanged against the ground, the piano music blared through the air and a bunny was starting to lose oxygen thanks to its friend's grip. "I DON' LIKE IT, I DON' LIKE IT, I DON' LIKE ITTTT!"

It felt like Verna was in a cartoon! She finally made it and ran through the end of the hallway and she found herself in a room with a piano shaking and moving like it was dancing. She found the source of the music, but it only made her feel even more uncomfortable. Verna really wanted to cry right about now, but the wriggling of her friend brought her back. She looked down to see that her bunny was in need of air, so she loosened her grip.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, Mr. B-b-b-b… Bunny…" Her voice turned into a squeal as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I dun like this…"

It was quiet… It had gone quiet! The piano had suddenly stopped playing and creaking took its place. The little girl hesitantly looked up to see that the piano had turned to face her direction.

"Uh…?"

A beat…

A silent beat…

And then, when the silence became unbearable-

 **THWONK! THWONK! THWONK!**

The piano came to life, jumping forward, slamming its case open and shut like a pair of jaws.

"AAAAHHHH!" Again, Verna ran. She stopped paying attention to anything else and the world had practically turned into a giant canvas of red and yellow. She tripped and fell and scraped her knee on the floor, but she didn't stop. She screamed and cried and ran as fast as she could, until finally… "Hu-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A hole in the floor she hadn't seen through the carpet. She fell through, evading the rabid piano… Only to fall right back at the entrance to meet the hooded figure from before, idly filing their nails.

"Hey, you're back!" the stranger greeted. "I was wondering when you'd get back, ya slowpoke. Sure took _your_ sweet time."

"Uhhhh…" She had fallen. She had fallen and now she no longer had the strength to get back up any more! Tears fell from her eyes, soaking little Oswald and even her clothes. She couldn't even form any words; she could only hope and pray the stranger was satisfied.

"So, how'd you like the ride? I worked real hard on setting this all up, you know," Finally, finally the stranger turned to look at Verna, finally showing its face. Just a pair of white circles for eyes with no visible mouth. He moved- no, he slid towards the girl and she finally realized the stranger wasn't a human, but a monster with skin as black as ink.

"Urr..." was all the response Verna could muster.

"The silent type, are we? Well, I know how to get answers out of your kind." Suddenly, its voice lowered in tone. Its body started getting bigger, arms stretched out around its back and it leaned forward to get closer. Its terrifying visage made Verna's eyes go wide, but more than that, the girl grit her teeth, trying to scamper away, until an inky arm stopped her. It smirked and grinned and floated closer and then…

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" It laughed like a maniac, returning to its normal form in an instant. Its jaw unhinged and practically dropped to the floor while it laughed. "Hey, hey, I was only joking, kid. I couldn't possibly hurt a… Hmmmm? Do my ears deceive me, or is that the sound of footsteps?"

 **Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!**

"Well, that's a bummer," the stranger whined. "Well, it was fun kid, but I've got to go now. Stuff to do, places to see, people to traumatize, yadda, yadda, yadda." At its own cue, the inky man walked off away from the little girl. It was almost a relief… Until it leaned in close one last time and said, "Don't you worry, though, I'll be sure to come say 'hi' if we ever meet again. That's a promise from your good bud, Inkaman! Now then, I'll be seeing you~"

And just like that, it was gone, almost as if it had never been there to begin with. Only a small trail of ink being a sign of the stranger's existence. In its place, a new individual was on the scene.

"Verna! Verna!"

Yes, it was the older sister she'd called out for with all her might, finally come to pick her up. Just seeing her was enough, Verna could always depend on her to drive the mean old monsters away… Right?

"Verna?! Verna!"

"Let me take a look… Don't worry, it only looks like she just passed out is all, but… But what the hell is up with all this ink?"

"Does it matter?! Verna… Verna… I'm so, so sorry!"


	12. Becoming A Better Big Sister!

"Yes... we did manage to safely secure her. Yes, yes she is just resting right now..."

Vert sat cross-legged on a single chair, sideways to her complex computer setup and holding a green NepFone to her ear. Her normally elegant posture was tired and slouched, a result of the panic, worry and stress over losing Verna, anxiety due to the circumstances surrounding her sisters eventual rescue, the inane situation of dealing with park staff and panic while trying to keep her younger sisters identity a secret.

In short, it was just one colossal mess after another, which was a perfect summary of her life in recent days.

"There is nothing to worry about, she is just fine..." Nevertheless, she had to keep her tone high and level for the concerned staff on the other end. There was no need to create needless worry, and Vert didn't want her exhaustion to seep through her calming words. "Yes, she has been reunited with her caretakers, they are keeping a good eye on her..."

'Good eye' was a _heavy_ understatement, however. Vert cast a side glance to her own bed, where Verna slept peacefully tucked underneath the green covers. Sitting beside her was her 'big sister', Cave, who hadn't taken her own eyes off of the child since she arrived little over an hour ago. The green goddess watched as Cave pet her head, mussy golden locks gliding through her gloved fingers, while being careful not to wake her.

It would have been a heartwarming site, if Cave were not so intense concerning Verna's safety. Seriously, she looked lax when compared to the time she was 5pb's bodyguard, and that was saying quite a lot.

"I thank you for your concern, but we can handle it from here. Yes, yes, goodbye." Vert hung up on Yippyland's officials and let out the heavy sigh that had been building up inside of her. She put her head into her hands and rubbed her forehead, letting her phone drop from her grasp and onto the floor beneath her. "Hrm..."

Her room was quiet, perhaps a tad overly so despite recent events. It was nighttime, a quarter past 10 PM to be precise, yet the lights were still on and all but one occupant was still awake at the late hour. Any semblance of noise to be had came from Verna with her light snoring, while the soldier seated beside her may as well be a statue.

Vert's consistent moaning and groaning didn't count.

She desired nothing more than to sleep, but the lingering anxiety and worry was putting a hole in that plan. Too often did she find herself casting a glance over at the bed, hoping that her dear sister hadn't somehow disappeared again. Cave was watching her like a hawk, so there was no way... but Vert still felt unsure. In simple words, she was depressed and frustrated.

 **Nip... Nip...**

Not even her sisters newly acquired animal friend, who sat upon her head and mindlessly nibbled on her blonde hair, could possibly lift her spirits. H-How did it even get on her head in the first place...? Curious, Vert reached up over her head and grabbed the young rabbit with both her hands. Though it wriggled at first, initially it calmed down when Vert placed the black-spotted bunny on her lap and pet its ears.

"... To think, that the one time I leave the little one out of my line of sight, something like _this_ happens," Cave finally spoke, Vert could determine that she only heard the soldiers voice a grand total of twice over the course of the last few hours, and she didn't sound happy in the least. "I should have requested a leave from work, I could have been there to watch her..." Guilt was coupled with that. Vert couldn't help but sigh.

"You couldn't have known, Cave. None of us have." Standing up, Vert approached her bed with finesse. "It was a... freak accident, to be sure." The animal suddenly jumped out of her hold, hopping to Verna's spot and laying itself next to her. A show of compassion, perhaps. The sleeping child shifted at the sudden intrusion, but she calmed rather quickly, even taking the animal into a sleepy hug.

Vert would have squealed in delight at the cute display, had the situation not been so choking in its seriousness.

"It had no right to happen. A trip to an amusement park is supposed be a fun and joyful experience, not _this_..." The back of Cave's hand gently brushed against Verna's cheek. "At least she was not harmed, but Lady Vert, how could you have let this happen?"

The Goddess winced at the question. "I-It was a moment of carelessness, Chika and had gotten distracted-"

"I mean no disrespect Lady Vert, but regarding how you are treating the little one like a pet rather than a sibling, there is a very high chance of her resulting in road kill."

"... That was incredibly disrespectful."

"My warning still applies."

"Cave..."

"Lady Vert, I know that, in your _own very special way_ , you are doing the very best of your abilities to care for the little one, but I must remind you that she is a _child_..."

"W-Why are you speaking as if I have a mental deficiency?!" With wide eyes, Vert couldn't help but speak up against Cave's tactic of talking to her like she was some mental patient or, worse, _Neptune_. "I-I am well within my abilities to care for my little sister effectively!"

"Were these last few days some sort of elaborate joke, then? Because I am not laughing."

"I-I... Oh, that's not important! Y-You must have more faith in me!" The fact that Vert had to remind one of her strongest followers to believe in her spoke wonders of her, well, **_everything_** during the last eleven chapters. "I-I know today was disaterous, trust me I **know** , but it is going to be much different, I promise!"

"It's not that I don't have faith in you, Lady Vert, it is just... Hm..." Cave closed her eyes, appearing to think for a moment before speaking again. "Well, how do I say this... your utter carelessness is a subject of concern to me. As you are already aware, I simply cannot be around the little one twenty-four seven..."

"You are always welcome to the position of Verna's bodyguard, if it troubles you to be away from her."

"An offer much appreciated, though you are well aware that is not what I meant."

"I know... I know..." Frowning, Vert sat on the bed with her red-headed companion. "Forgive me, Cave, for being so thoughtless, though it's not like I was u _naware_ of my rather spectacular failures..."

"You do not have to apologize, so long as you own up to your mistakes." For the first time since her arrival, Cave actually smiled. That small, barely comprehensible form that can hardly be considered a smile, but a smile nonetheless. "I do find it rather awkward that I am ultimately the one reprimanding you, Lady Vert."

"No need to feel so unconformable." Vert waved her hand dismissively. "I am accepting to criticism as long as it is sound and reasonable, though I will admit this does hurt me on a more personal level than anything said before."

"Being a new elder sibling is something that cannot be seen as easy, no matter how long you had vied for it." said Cave. "The way you have been approaching this new responsibility that has been given to you is... questionable, to say the least."

"A point you have, yes." Vert nodded. "Though it is honestly troublesome to watch over my darling sister, when she hardly notices me in the first place." She sighed a miserable sigh then. "If only she would look at me the same way she looks at you and Chika. Even _Neptune_ , which does such poor things to my heart , Cave."

"I can _certainly_ see where you are coming from, though you'd be happy to know that Chika and I are not trying in the slightest to catch the little ones attention."

"That doesn't make me happy at all."

"Oh."

"..."

"..."

"... T-The offer still stands, as Verna's bodyguard I mean." said Vert, feeling an unholy amount of awkwardness seep into her very _soul_.

"I am well aware," Cave responded, more coolly than Vert could have hoped to achieve right then. "And I will consider it, since I do not find it helpful for me to act as her dutiful guardian all day while you helplessly struggle over basic, menial things."

"... Y-You make it sound far worse than it actually is, you know." A smile, despite having her pride shattered by Cave's painfully terse description of the last few days.

"I sincerely apologize for being rude, though it is a partial truth." Yeah, Vert didn't want to feel good about herself today anyway.

"T-That aside... yes, I know I was being incompetent, but..." The CPU turned to look at her sister, sleeping peacefully. She pet her sisters head, which made the small one slightly giggle in her slumber. Vert smiled. "Try to understand that the differences between a game about little sisters and a real life little sister are quite striking. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."

"Obviously, yes." Cave nodded. Vert's smile twitched just a _small_ bit, but she went on anyway.

"Today's incident has been rather eye-opening, to say the least. Again, please have _some_ faith in me, Cave."

"I will reserve judgement for when I actually see proof, though I will not say my faith is not placed in you Lady Vert." Another rare smile from the soldier. "Also, um, you're messing up her hair..."

"Hu-O-Oh!" Realizing that she was turning her sisters head into a used mop head, Vert retracted her hand quickly. "E-Er..." She put her hand back on Verna's head and tried to smooth out her hair as best as she could. "..." It looked frizzy and dry, not at all appealing, but Vert ultimately decided to leave it be. "At any rate... Oh dear, it's 11 PM." She finally looked at a clock for the first time since getting off the phone, and it was indeed getting very late. "Cave, you should-"

"Yes, it seems that way." The redhead lifted herself from the bed, unnecessarily dusting off her outfit and shooting a glance towards the sleeping Verna. "I will get back to you on that offer, Lady Vert. For now, farewell." Before moving towards the door though, Cave instead sauntered towards the bed, leaned down and kissed the sleeping girl on her forehead. "To you as well, little one. Please stay safe..." That said, the stoic soldier quietly retreated out the door and into the hallway, leaving the sisters alone.

"..."

Vert had no idea what to do then. The only other occupants in the room were fast asleep, which left the CPU to awkwardly sit on the side of her bed and twiddle her gloved fingers. "Hm..." Feeling very bored rather quickly, Vert summoned the remote to her TV and turned it on.

 ** _"-and so, investigators were unable to find a direct source behind this mysterious incident, beyond a mysterious trail of ink that led nowhere. For now, we can only hope and pray that the small child, and Yippyland as a whole, will be safe from this mysterious menace-"_**

Quickly, Vert switched channels. The last thing she wanted to hear was anything concerning Yippyland or the incident around it. The mere thought of Verna's life being in danger greatly troubled Vert, so much so that she had to ensure she didn't break her remote with how tightly she clenched her fists. One day, just _one_ day where nothing went wrong. Was that too much to ask...?

"What has my life turned into...?"

"Mm..."

"!?"

Like a pin being dropped, the sudden noise in the quiet room stunned Vert. Turning around, she found that her dear sister was shifting around in the bed. Her eyes bounced between open and closed, which clued in Vert that she would wake up soon. "Ah..."

Only a minute later did Verna sit up, yawning cutely and rubbing her tired eyes while her animal friend moved around by her side. Vert suppressed a squeal at the adorable sight, instead focusing on moving closer to her tired sister and petting her head. "I see you've finally awoke, my sister." She said in a soothing voice.

"Siiiiiiiiis..." Drawling that one word like one sadistic sleepyhead from another dimension, her little sister crawled from her spot and onto Vert's lap, snuggling onto her like she was a comfortable chair. "Mm, siiis..."

Vert hugged her, while not too tightly, was still firm enough where her breasts took the role of soft pillows. "How are you feeling, Verna? Well, I hope..."

"Fine... I dun' feel funny..." She said sleepily.

"That's good, that's good..." Vert pet her sister some more, feeling rather possessive then. It's not like one could blame her. Almost losing her sister to some unknown menace? That would drive anyone mad, and a CPU like herself wasn't invincible to that.

"Siiiiis..." Her sister drawled again, though it sounded more like a whine that time. "Big sis... left..."

"I am so, so sorry, my dear sister..." Vert could feel her eyes watering up. Be... brave...! _For her!_ "It was never my intention to leave you alone, but you should have never wandered off in the first place...!"

"Sorry..." Verna mumbled. "But Mr. Bu- Oswald..."

"Is that what you've named your new friend?" Vert saw the young rabbit sleeping on a random spot on her bed. Amused, Vert asked. "You chased that animal around the park, didn't you?"

"... Yeah..."

Vert giggled, and kissed Verna's head. "My sister, never stop being precious..."

"Mm..." Verna said nothing, instead nuzzling her face into the 'soft pillows' and closing her eyes. The sisters lay in their embrace, Verna close to sleeping again and Vert becoming lost in her own thoughts.

 _'Verna... I promise you, I will be better for you... I will ensure you live a peaceful life as my dear little sister...'_ Vert swore to herself, and to Verna as well. Things would be _better_ , she would make it so!

"Siiiiiis, I'm huuuungry..."

... But first, she must feed the Verna! _To the Kitchen!_

* * *

"Aaaaaargh, I'm so damn tired..."

Things weren't going so well for Chika. Dealing with the Yippyland mess was bad enough, but dealing with _everything_ else is what did her in. The Oracle had to deal with waves of questioning, which seemed to never simmer down in the slightest, on top of keeping Verna's very existence a secret from them was doubly stressful for her. She fell face first on a black couch, wishing nothing but a good rest. "Errrrrgh..."

"There there, you poor hopeless pursuant." Cave, sitting beside her, halfheartedly patted her legs. "The worst is already over, and the little ones identity is secured for now."

"I hope my dearest appreciates all the trouble I went through..." Chika grumbled. "How's the kid doing, anyway?"

"Fine. According to Lady Vert, she has been resting since they returned home." answered Cave. "Although..." Her tone changed suddenly, something Chika took an immediate disliking to. "Does that mean you are actually _worried_ about the little one?"

Eyes wide, Chika shot upwards and turned her whole body around. Meeting her line of sight was the smuggest emerald gaze she had ever seen. She growled. "Tch... n-no, of course not! Why would I care for that brat, she stole my dearest right out from under me!"

"For her to steal Lady Vert, you would have to have owned her in the first place."

"..."

Chika's eye twitched.

It was true, but still...!

"Regardless, I believe it is my time to vacate." Cave gracefully lifted herself from the couch, shooting Chika a sideways glance as she made way for the elevator. "Oh, but expect me to be around much more often now. I do believe Lady Vert had offered me a higher position concerning the little one and her very life."

"... Eh?"

"I will inform you later, for now, ciao." With those parting words, Cave disappeared with the elevator. Blinking, Chika failed to understand what her best friend meant by that, likely as a result of her exhaustion, she simply shrugged and laid back down on the couch. She needed rest, a lot of it, so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gradually allowed the graces of sleep to overcome her and-

"Big Sis Chikaaaaaa..."

 _'... **SON OF A-** ' _Nope, she was getting none of that. That brat, the Vert-stealer, sister-dethroner _the very bane of her existence,_ it called her by that name, _that damn name_ that always struck a chord in her heart. _No!_ That was a sign of _weakness_ , Chika! Hate little girls like you _mean it_ , dammit!

No, wait, that sounded wrong...

"Big Sis Chikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." She drawled, then Chika felt a tiny body lay on her back. The Oracle stiffened. _'Nononononononononononononono-'_ "Mmmmmm..." Arms that definitely weren't big enough to wrap around her whole waist grabbed onto her sides, with the sounds of a light snore coming right afterwards. _'Did... D-Did this kid just fall asleep on me?!'_

"Oh dear, it seems she fell asleep again..." Vert's angelic voice spoke up, sounding far too amused at that moment. "She is like a light switch, asleep and then awake just like that, and it seems your are about to follow her, Chika."

"Uuuurgh..." Was her response. Chika could practically see the smile on Vert's face, and it _annoyed_ her.

"Verna simply wanted to eat, but she keeps falling from consciousness to unconsciousness that I'm afraid it's simply not possible." Giggling, Vert sits on the couch and rubs _the brat's_ back. "The poor thing is so tired, today was a rather hefty handful, wasn't it Chika?"

"Yes..." She mumbled. "I just want sleep..." Preferably _not_ with that brat resting on top of her. Stupid, stupid... brat.

"At least do so in the comfort of your own bed, Chika, though the couch is not an awful choice either." With those words, Vert lifted the sleeping child off of Chika and into her arms once again. "Good night, Chika."

"Nhm..." She barely grumbled, feeling the weight of a thousand pounds drop onto her eyelids then. She didn't even hear Vert leave the room or notice the lights going off, just the feeling of rest finally taking her.

"..."

Dammit, she forgot how uncomfortable the couch was.

 _'This is bullshit...'_


End file.
